Revisiting Chinese Cultural Issues in Peer Feedback in EFL Writing: Insights from a Multiple Case Study

Abstract

The present case study aims to revisit the role of Chinese traditional cultural issues in group peer feedback by examining how Chinese EFL students respond to several typical Chinese cultural issues that have emerged from the literature—“collectivism and group harmony,” “face-saving,” and “power distance” and what factors have shaped their beliefs and practices regarding these cultural issues. Multiple sources of data were collected, including video recordings of peer feedback sessions, interviews, and stimulated recalls. The findings show that while there were individual differences in the four students’ beliefs and practices with regard to the cultural issues, on the whole the cultural issues did not constrain their group peer feedback activity. The study also found that the students’ beliefs and practices were embedded in a number of interrelating individual and contextual factors like the Chinese cultures of learning, the group context, and the students’ previous feedback experience. This study cast doubt on previous research that suggests the traditional Chinese cultural issues constrained the implementation of peer feedback activity and marred the effectiveness of peer feedback in L2 writing.