Is Language Awareness Supported by Grammar Lessons, Indirect and Metalinguistic Feedback? An Examination of Graduate Students’ Writing Across Drafts

Abstract

This study examines the support for developing graduate students’ language awareness in academic writing drafts through the provision of grammar lessons and feedback – indirect and metalinguistic. The study was conducted in a basic academic writing module, offered to both masters’ and PhD students (n=48) at a university in Singapore. To gauge whether language awareness was supported, students completed three surveys and the researcher analyzed errors and their subsequent revisions in students’ written drafts. The survey results showed students’ positive perception towards grammar lessons and feedback, in terms of their usefulness and valuable impact on writing skills. Nonetheless, when students’ written drafts were examined, it was noted that the impact of feedback was largely centered on the revision of grammar within drafts of the same task, instead of other higher order writing skills or in a new writing task. To ensure that IF and MF are effective in supporting language awareness, it is recommended that students be socialized with feedback practices of an instructor, and to be cognizant of their study setting. Moreover, writing instructors should configure learning objectives to reflect the developing nature of academic literacy.