Online Dialogic Feedback Contributions to the Writing of the “Graduate Thesis” Discursive Genre

Abstract

Feedback by experts and peers is pivotal when it comes to prepare a thesis. However, studies on dialogic feedback in graduate school are inchoate, with its impact on textualization not being addressed. This article is based on a study that inquired about the contributions of online dialogic feedback to the writing of the discursive genre "thesis", in a graduate educational program in the field of social and human sciences. The study focused on the revision of thesis chapters written by eight students enrolled in the program. The multiple case study included information from several sources, namely questionnaires, records of feedback and changes between the first and final chapter drafts, and in-depth interviews. The results suggest two main contributions to the textualization of online dialogic feedback based on the thesis genre: analysis and edition of the own thesis, and emotional aspects involved in its production. These findings provide information to promote decision-making regarding planning and management of teaching proposals oriented to thesis production at the graduate level.