Students' Perception and the Significance of Feedback in the Writing Class: A Case Study of Bole Senior and Preparatory School
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Date
2009-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main purpose of the study was to explore students' perception and
significance of feedback in the writing class. The specific objectives were to:
a) investigate factors responsible in affecting students' perception of the
significance of feedback on their writing.
b) examine how students handle the feedback they receive and the
strategies they use to apply to their subsequent writings.
c) asses if students have problems in interpreting the teacher's
responses, and
d) examine whether or not teachers encourage their learners to act
onl reinforce the comments provided.
In order to achieve the above objectives, data was collected using
questionnaire and collected data was verified using interviews. Out of the
total population of grade 11 students of the Bole Senior Secondary and
Preparatory School, 114 (12%) students were taken to be subjects of the
study. The interview of those 30 students was audio recorded and
transcription was done later.
The result of the study revealed that students feel that the feedback is
useful and it helps them improve their writing, to be aware of their
mistakes, identify their errors, and correct their weak points. Regarding
students' strategies of handling teachers' comments, it was found that
students reread their essays to refresh their memories enough to give the
teacher's comments a meaningful context for interpretation and give
considerable attention to it when they get their paper back.
It was also found that students have difficulties in understanding teachers'
feedback out of which comments provided in the form of phrases are the
most common ones. Besides, the data analysis and discussions showed
that students are encouraged to incorporate the comments provided in
various ways such as class work and home work writing tasks, and in the
essay examinations.
On the basis of the findings, it was recommended that teachers should be
able to provide adequate, clear and easily understandable feedbacks so as
to enable students to use it appropriately and convey the intended
message.
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Keywords
Feedback in the Writing Class, A Case Study