Exploring the development of student feedback literacy in the second language writing classroom

Abstract

Despite the growing recognition of the important role of student feedback literacy in exploiting feedback opportunities, little is known about the trajectory of student feedback literacy in L2 writing classrooms. To fill this gap, the current study investigated the development of student feedback literacy in an authentic L2 writing classroom where pedagogical approaches and feedback practices were structured towards enabling feedback opportunities. Data were gathered from multiple sources over a 16-week semester, including pre- and post-study student questionnaires, interviews with students and their writing teacher, students’ original and revised drafts, and classroom documents. The results revealed that through the teacher's systematic approach that integrated preparatory activities (peer feedback training and assessment criteria elaborating), multi-source feedback practices (peer and teacher feedback), and post-feedback reinforcement (reflective activities), students experienced sustained opportunities and perceived an improvement in their feedback literacy over the semester. Specifically, the student participants reported enhanced capacities to elicit feedback, make judgments, and take actions, as well as strengthened dispositions to appreciate feedback and manage affect. The present study advances our knowledge of the nascent concept of feedback literacy and informs L2 pedagogy by presenting a developmental picture of L2 student writers’ feedback literacy.