A Study on Guided Peer Feedback in Group Work to Improve Non-English-Majored Graduates’ English Writing in Internet-Based Language Laboratory

Ping Gong,Yougen Lou,Jianjun Liu,Zejuan Li

doi:10.4236/jss.2016.410007

Abstract

Peer feedback is a key to the quality of group work in foreign language classrooms. In order to better understand the use of peer feedback in writing, a fifteen-week study was conducted by combining peer feedback in group work with the internet-based language laboratory (IBLL). 80 non-English-majored graduates from Yangtze University participated in this study. 40 non-English-majored graduates in EG were randomly divided into 10 groups and one group member from every group was chosen as the leader in a group. Based on Scaffolding Instruction of Constructivism, this study chose three different tools-a checklist, a qualitative feedback sheet and a grading sheet, to guide peer feedback. Two tests and questionnaires were adopted to investigate the students’ views and attitude toward guided peer feedback in IBLL. We found: 1) the method of peer feedback in group work with support of IBLL could improve non-English-majored graduates’ writing ability; 2) there were significant differences between males in CG and EG, and females in CG and EG; 3) students in EG held the positive response for the combined writing instruction through the data of questionnaires.

Highlights

Writing ability is important for non-English-majored graduates in writing academic papers to express their academic ideas to readers
In order to better understand the use of peer feedback in writing, a fifteen-week study was conducted by combining peer feedback in group work with the internet-based language laboratory (IBLL). 80 non-English-majored graduates from Yangtze University participated in this study. 40 non-English-majored graduates in Experiment Group (EG) were randomly divided into 10 groups and one group member from every group was chosen as the leader in a group
One group of 40 subjects was regarded as the Control Group (CG) with the traditional graduate English writing method in IBLL, and other 40 subjects were as the Experiment Group (EG) with the method of guided peer feedback in group work with support of IBLL

Summary

Introduction

Writing ability is important for non-English-majored graduates in writing academic papers to express their academic ideas to readers. To improve Chinese non-English-majored graduates’ writing ability is an important subject for studying. Suggestions and new ideas from peers with support of the internet-based language laboratory (IBLL) would improve non-English-majored graduates’ writing skills even writing ability. In the framework of the task-based language learning, group work is regarded as a chief organizational form of learning [1], because it enhance interaction and negotiation of meaning which can lead to language acquisition. The quality of group work varies widely in practice, and research into the means of group work enhancement is required urgently

Methods

Results

Conclusion