Analysing Written Feedback to Student-Texts : A Qualitative Study of English Teachers' Approach to Providing Written Comments

Abstract: Formative assessment has reignited the hopes of increasing student-learning by placing the student at the centre of their own learning. Through various instructional methods, teachers are able to both elicit evidence of knowledge and locate gaps in students’ learning. Although the shift in thinking is clearly reflected in most parts of the school curriculum, the implementation of formative assessment in written form did not experience equal reform. So far, research has been scarce regarding the art of providing written feedback to written texts. This presents a challenge in providing equally qualitative and effective feedback as the practice varies due to numerous factors. There is a lack of unity regarding the ‘correct’ way to provide written feedback, but nevertheless, written feedback is usually directed toward content and/or form. Thus, this analytical essay has the dual aim of firstly, to analyze teachers’ approach to written feedback in response to students’ texts, and secondly, shed light on the way teachers’ experiences, knowledge and attitudes affect their approach. The participants consisted of three upper-secondary school English teachers. The data was gathered through semi-structured interviews to highlight the teachers’ experiences and emotional input. The teachers provided two sets of written feedback to two students’ texts for further analysis. The overall analysis included a comparison between the teachers’ approach, their personal input and their style of providing feedback. Findings showed that the teachers focused on both content-and form-related feedback. The teachers more confident in their ability to provide feedback focused more on content-related feedback, regardless of factors of experience and attitude. All teachers displayed a progressive and optimistic perspective toward the use of written feedback practices and formative assessment in general, perceiving it as an absolute necessity for students’ learning. However, some struggled with defining the concepts in regard to the criteria, which presented issues in the implementation of specificity, clarity and tone.