Impact of Teachers’ Feedback in Improving Students’ Writing Skills: A Study of Tertiary Level Students in Dhaka

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the impact of teachers’ feedback in improving students' writing skills. Feedback is perhaps the most widely used method for responding to students’ writing. While various studies have investigated the effectiveness of providing error correction, there has been relatively little research in Bangladesh incorporating the impact of teachers' feedback in improving students’ writing skills. Supporting Vygotsky's concept of ‘Zone of Proximal Development’ a mixed-method approach was used to collect data. The data was analyzed in both numerical and descriptive manner. 90 undergraduate students were chosen for this research using convenience sampling. The major findings indicate that students find multiple benefits of feedback and have a positive attitude towards receiving feedback but the feedback they receive is not clear, specific, well explained, and immediate. This study finds that teacher-student conferencing is the feedback that students prefer the most. Finally, some suggestions are given to improve feedback quality for enhancing the writing skills of tertiary-level students in Bangladesh. This study will help teachers have a better understanding of giving feedback to improve the writing skills of EFL students. It will also facilitate educational administrators and policymakers.