Students’ Perception and Preferences of Written Feedback in Academic Writing

Abstract

Writing in a second language is not an easy task for students. Yet, it is an important skill for them to acquire in order to succeed in university. The aim of this study is to investigate ESL tertiary students’ perception on the importance and effectiveness of written feedback in their academic writing assignments. The study also aims to examine students’ preferred feedback in helping them revise and improve their written assignments. The subjects are 34 Diploma students. Data was gathered via a questionnaire adapted from Ferris (1995), Leki (1999) and Hedgecock and Leftkowitz (1994). Findings reveal that students view feedback as important and necessary to help them improve their writing ability. Findings also revealed that students prefer feedback in the form of grammar correction and suggestions on how to improve. The least preferred feedback are questions and one-word comments.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p72