L2 Peer Feedback in an Online Writing Environment: Focus on Mediational Tool Use

Peer feedback in L2 writing classrooms has recently attracted considerable attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA), particularly as most studies to date suggest that it can help improve L2 learners’ writing and consolidate their learning. However, some studies have reported major downsides in implementing peer feedback in certain L2 contexts. Among the issues frequently reported are that reviewers tend to be hesitant about providing feedback to their peers due to lack of confidence in their ability to make quality comments and not knowing what to target in their peers’ essays, as well as writers not always accepting the comments provided. Access to the Internet in peer feedback activities has the potential to overcome such problems by enabling reviewers and writers to consult a wide range of sources (e.g. online dictionaries, spelling and grammar checkers) while interacting with each other. Framed within sociocultural theory and with a focus on the role of technology, this study aimed to examine how students mediated their learning while giving and receiving peer comments in Google Docs in English, with additional support from online sources. A secondary aim was to explore the learners’ perceptions of peer feedback using Google Docs and online resources. A multiple qualitative case study was conducted with 14 Egyptian EFL university students (aged 19–23). Data were collected over 10 weeks. Peer feedback interactions in Google Docs were analysed and triangulated with screen capture recordings and interview data. The findings suggest that the Egyptian EFL students engaged in multiple forms of mediation when exchanging peer feedback in Google Docs. Using the language as a symbolic tool, the reviewers strategically employed different forms of mediation, such as providing direct and indirect feedback, clarifying, suggesting/advising, etc., facilitating advancement within the writers’ Zone of Proximal Development. While mediation was primarily through language, the students employed a variety of online tools that provided mediational support to both writers and reviewers. Such support helped empower the reviewers and boosted their confidence as providers of feedback, as well as encouraging writers reluctant about receiving feedback to accept and incorporate it in their revised drafts. Although access to online sources was observed to encourage writers to trust and adopt comments made by reviewers, these were mainly oriented to language rather than content. The findings not only contribute understanding of the processes involved in peer feedback, but could also help classroom instructors consider the role played by online sources in adding to writers’ and reviewers’ learning experiences.