Student Feedback Literacy (SFL) Profiles in an L2 Writing Classroom and the Influence of Peer Feedback on the SFL Features

Abstract

Feedback plays a pivotal role in the development of foreign language writing skills, and within the scope of the new paradigm of feedback, the active role of learners in feedback processes has been acknowledged with the conceptualization of student feedback literacy (SFL). This paper reports on a qualitative inquiry into the SFL profiles of a group of Turkish undergraduate students in an English writing classroom and the effects of a four-week online peer feedback activity on the students’ perceived SFL features. The study utilized multiple data sources consisting of pre- and post-task surveys, which were filled by the whole subject group; the feedback comments and interactional moves of four focal students on Peergrade, a digital platform enabling peer feedback; the essay drafts of these focal students and the drafts reviewed by them; and lastly the researcher’s notes from a discussion session with the students during the activity. The results revealed that each focal student distinctly demonstrated discrete SFL features at varying levels. The findings also showed that the peer feedback activity did not produce considerable improvement in the students’ feedback literacy in L2 writing, yet changes were detected in student reports with respect to the perceived SFL features of making judgments, managing affect and taking action. The study extends our limited knowledge of SFL profiles of L2 writing learners in a Turkish context and informs the ongoing discussion on the efficacy of peer feedback in SFL development.