Assessing the Impact of Peer Revision on L2 Writing

Abstract

This study sought to investigate the impact of peer revision on writers' final drafts in two rhetorical modes, narration and persuasion, among 14 Spanish-speaking ESL college students. Two questions were addressed: (1) How were revisions made in peer sessions incorporated by writers in their final versions? (2) How were troublesources revised according to different language aspects (content, organization, vocabulary, grammar, and mechanics)? An analysis of audiotaped interactions, first drafts, and final drafts revealed that 74 per cent of revisions made in the peer sessions were incorporated. In addition, writers made many further and self revisions after the sessions. These revisions suggest a pattern of behavior conducive to self-regulation among writers. Results also show that students focused equally on grammar and content when revising in the narrative mode and predominantly on grammar in the persuasive mode. Organization was the least attended aspect in either mode. Only 7 per cent of false repairs were found overall. The study suggests that peer assistance can help L2 intermediate learners realize their potential for effective revision, to the extent their linguistic abilities permit. It is the authors' belief that peer revision should be seen as an important complementary source of feedback in the ESL classroom.