The Impact of Online and Face-to-Face Peer Feedback on Pre-Service Teachers in EFL Academic Writing

Abstract

This mixed-method 14-week case study investigated the impact of peer feedback on Turkish English as a foreign language (EFL) prospective teachers' attitudes to and performance in a blended academic writing course in the tertiary setting. The peer feedback provision process involved online and face-to-face written peer feedback on weblogs, enhanced with a six-hour training phase for peer feedback. Weekly student journals, group feedback conferences, the end-of-the-semester survey, and the pre- and post-writing tests were used in the data collection. The qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis and the quantitative data via descriptive statistics and an independent paired sample t-test. The study indicated that the use of face-to-face and online peer feedback together was perceived as beneficial and effective by EFL pre-service teachers and that it led to a relatively successful performance in academic writing. It is suggested that participants unfamiliar with peer revision be provided with training and continuous scaffolding/guidance to ensure the effectiveness of the process.