Feedback on writing: Faculty and student perceptions

Abstract

While the research on feedback given to undergraduate writers mainly focuses on what goes on in language classrooms, most of the writing that matters to students occurs in disciplinary contexts. They are 'Writing-to-Learn' rather than ‘Learning-to-Write’, yet we know little about what faculty teachers are trying to achieve with their feedback or how it is received by students. This talk explores these issues based on a recent GRF project. Drawing on interviews with 20 teachers and 24 undergraduates from four faculties at HKU, I explore their perceptions of feedback to illuminate students' experiences of disciplinary writing. Overall, the ndings show that although faculty would like to see their students write in disciplinary approved ways, their feedback rarely supports this, while students often take negative messages from the feedback concerning their learning, disciplinary communication and teacher-student relationships. As a result, EAP writing teachers are often the only resources students have in acquiring a better understanding of writing and its relation to disciplinary practices.