The Contribution of Ict-Mediated Peer Feedback to the Improvement of Writing Skills at the Tertiary Level: a Case Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT: There is an interesting amount of research on the relation between ICT and writing in the English classroom. However, less research has been conducted on the role that ICTmediated peer feedback can play in the development of this skill. Hence, an explanatory case study conducted at a private university intended to explore the contribution of peer feedback provided through Google Docs, and enriched with other technological resources (online dictionaries and grammar checkers) to the improvement of writing skills, using a process approach to writing. The participants were 13 students from a bachelor’s degree on modern languages (English, French, and German) with an emphasis on administration and marketing. The data collected included two drafts of a text written by the participants, evaluated by two independent teachers; the interactions that took place among the students; an interview with the second evaluator of the texts; two focus groups with the students who participated; and research diaries. The deductive analysis of the sources of information yielded quantitative and qualitative results that suggest a positive impact of ICT-mediated peer feedback for bettering writing skills, particularly concerning the use of vocabulary and verbal tenses, as well as in the creation of recounts according to the characteristics of this type of text. However, findings also made clear a high dependence of the students on the teacher, in spite of the efforts made to help them become more autonomous in their learning process through technological tools. These findings suggest three important issues for the EFL field, which I analyze in the discussion and conclusion of this document. These are a reflection about teaching practices that can fully place students at the center of their process; a clear framing of technology in the classroom that supports the teaching and learning process; and an approach to the task of writing as an ongoing process that requires scaffolding through feedback in order to make it more engaging for the students