Sunday  2:15 - 3:05 PM
Orchid
Peer Review in an EFL Writing Class 

This study discusses the influence of diverse variables on the peer review in an EFL writing class in Taiwan. Data from classroom observations and a reflective journal were triangulated with those from questionnaires to obtain a holistic perspective of the impact of each factor on this instructional practice. The findings demonstrate that students' knowledge of the writing topics and their concern about "face" affect their ability and willingness to perform peer review. Their respect for authority renders them less ready to accept comments from peers, Their preference for working with the same reviewers clashes with the idea behind task-oriented writing groups.   The teacher's role as a passive observer or an active collaborator of peer review also plays an important part. The author recommends that EFL writing teachers adopt a topic-oriented group so that students can work with the same reviewer on a topic through different sessions.