Online peer feedback for intercultural understanding

Abstract

In writing classes peer feedback is a type of collaborative learning and improving students’ writing using some rubrics and giving feedback to each other. Its effectiveness and students’ attitudes towards peer feedback have been investigated in many research studies and inconclusive findings have been found. While some studies prove that it is useful for students and students highly appreciate the effectiveness of it, some others dismiss the efficiency of it and propose some suggestions and principles for better implementations of it.Also with the advent of the Internet usage exchange of e-mails have been regarded as a more logistically practical approach to peer feedback saving time in the class enabling more negotiation of the written work. Another contribution of it is if students from different cultures exchange e-mails and give feedback it proves to be productive for sharing culture and better insight into various cultures. With this aim in mind two students one from Turkey and two from the USA were selected and guided with some rubrics to give each other feedback for their writings about their own culture last year and this year. This presentation points out the advantages and disadvantages of it, and guiding principles for more effective peer feedback and online peer feedback more specifically. Finally, some and the participant students’ writing drafts in various topics and their perceptions regarding this activity will be discussed.