Understanding secondary school students' online peer feedback practices : an ESL computer-mediated writing classroom in Hong Kong

Abstract

 Computer-mediated peer feedback is an increasingly popular pedagogical activity in modern writing classrooms. Nevertheless, research which targets its use in an Asian secondary school setting is comparatively scarce. Thus, focusing on the use of Google Docs, a prominent online text processor, this study was undertaken to understand the asynchronous online feedback practices of students from a secondary school in Hong Kong. By carrying out a questionnaire survey (N=96), conducting focus group interviews (N=12), and analysing students’ writing samples (N=24), this study documented the participants’ perceptions of conducting peer feedback through the Google web-app along with the feedback behaviours they displayed. Results showed that the online collaborative activity could be both intrinsically and extrinsically motivating to students, though teachers ought to pay attention to the stress caused by notifications and improper usage of Google Docs. Moreover, students stated preference for teacher feedback because of the expertise of their teachers and the relative lack of confidence in their classmates. Challenging the findings of previous research, students were found to have focused on giving language-related feedback. The spelling and grammar suggestion function of Google Docs might have been the primary cause. Furthermore, it was revealed that higher-ability students would accept edits more cautiously because of their stronger sense of authorship. Finally, participants were able to uphold group harmony by praising and, perhaps surprisingly, criticising their peers. Together with these findings, the potential challenges of using Google Docs for peer feedback and their corresponding solutions were investigated, which can be useful for teachers in similar educational contexts.