The effectiveness of trained peer response on ESL students' writing quality and revision types. (c2011)

Abstract

This action research investigates the effectiveness of trained peer response on ESL students’ revision types and writing quality. Eighteen female eighth graders in a Lebanese school participated in the study. Tools used to collect data included two guideline sheets to aid the participants during the editing stage, the Taxonomy of Witte and Faigley to analyze the types of revisions made after peer- revisions, an iBT / TOEFL rubric to score students’ first and second drafts in order to check if their writing has improved, and an interview at the end of the treatment to show students’ perceptions and beliefs towards peer- editing. The study lasted for two weeks and consisted of six stages which are: training and modeling, one-on-one ten- minute student teacher conference, writing the first draft, peer- editing, writing the second draft, and one-on-one interview with the students. Thus, the results of the study were triangulated and indicated that the students made more meaning changes (58%) than surface- level changes (41%), and that their writing quality of the second draft has improved. These findings reveal an improvement in students’ writing quality in an ESL context in favor of training in peer- editing.