Working Smarter, Not Working Harder: Revisiting Teacher Feedback in the L2 Writing Classroom

Abstract

Although second language (L2) teachers spend a significant amount of time marking students’ writing, many of them feel that their efforts do not pay off. While students want teachers to give them feedback on their writing and value teacher feedback, they might experience feelings of frustration and confusion once they receive it. What is amiss in L2 writing teachers’ feedback practices? The present article is predicated on the belief that if teachers are to improve the effectiveness of conventional feedback practices, they have to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions and problematize their current practices. Using teacher feedback data from 26 English teachers from Hong Kong and interview data from six of them, the present article analyzes the problems that underlie teachers’ feedback practices, discusses alternative approaches, and concludes with recommendations to help teachers maximize the formative potential of feedback.