Feedback in L2 English Writing in the Arab World

Inside the Black Box

Abdelhamid M. Ahmed, Salah Troudi, Susan Riley, Abdelhamid M. Ahmed, Salah Troudi, Susan Riley

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9783030258290
• eBook ISBN:
  9783030258306
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Teaching Languages

This edited book uses case studies to offer a comprehensive picture of the feedback practices and perceptions pertinent to English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing in the Arab world. It highlights essential themes about feedback in L2 writing in eight Arab countries, and offers a detailed critical analysis of feedback practices and perceptions in six of these: Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates. The book will appeal to an international readership of academics, researchers and practitioners interested in EFL writing in the Arab world.

© The Author(s) 2020

A. M. Ahmed et al. (eds.)Feedback in L2 English Writing in the Arab Worldhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25830-6_1

Begin Abstract

1. Feedback in EFL Writing: Arab World Contexts, Issues, and Challenges

Abdelhamid M. Ahmed¹

(1)

Core Curriculum Program, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

Abdelhamid M. Ahmed

Email: [email protected]

Email: [email protected]

Keywords

Feedback—L2 English writingChallengesContextsIssuesArab world universities

End Abstract

Introduction

The English language has become the most widely used language in the world due to globalisation and internationalisation. More people are learning English worldwide, and it is expected that half the world will be using the English language proficiently by 2050 (Johnson, 2009). Proficiency in English writing is one of the most important skills needed for written communication nowadays. Written communication skills in English are twenty-first century skills required by employers worldwide as highlighted by the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) in its VALUE rubrics. In line with this, Leki (2011) justified the importance of written communication in English for the following five reasons. First, writing is a skill that achieves one’s personal fulfilment. Second, it helps students to learn the content of different disciplines. Third, students need to write a lot in different courses at college and university levels. Fourth, good writing skills in English are required by employers worldwide. Finally, writing is considered a powerful tool for justice in a democratic world.

In the Arab world context, Rabab’ah (2005) assured that learning English for Arab students is a difficult process. Despite its importance, English as a Foreign Language (EFL) writing constitutes a challenge to most Arab students (Ahmed & Abouabdelkader, 2016). English writing is not only challenging for native speakers; it is even more challenging for non-native speakers whose first language is entirely different from English—such as Arabic (Muthanna, 2016). EFL writing entails a wide range of skills that Arab students, at different educational stages, need to master throughout their course of study. These skills include cohesion, coherence, style, clarity of writing, grammatical and lexical structures, and mechanics of writing (i.e. punctuation, spelling, handwriting, and revision). English writing and pedagogy need to be explored continuously in the Middle East and North Africa contexts (Arnold, Nebel, & Ronesi, 2017). In addition, research has highlighted that students’ skills in EFL writing need to be assessed in more informative, accurate, and effective ways (Weigle, 2002).

The teacher plays an essential role in guiding the development of these skills through providing meaningful and constructive feedback. Feedback is a crucial aspect in the process of assessment as it fundamentally enables students to learn from assessment (Irons, 2008). Hyland and Hyland (2010) argued that teachers’ feedback on students’ writing is one of the ESL writing teacher’s most important tasks through providing individualised attention to each student, something that is rare under usual classroom conditions. Feedback plays an essential role in educational practices and advancing students’ learning (Hattie & Timperley, 2007). However, responding to students’ writing seems to be an exhausting process for those teachers who invest their time and energy to give feedback to their students (Ferris, Brown, Liu, & Stine, 2011).

Teachers’ feedback can take different forms: written commentary, error correction, teacher-student conferencing, or peer discussion (Hyland & Hyland, 2010). Similarly, Frodesen & Holten, 2011 referred to direct and indirect forms of grammatical feedback. Direct feedback can take place through marking or correcting grammatical errors, or delivering instruction to the class as a whole on examples of students’ error-filled sentences. On the other hand, indirect feedback can be delivered in three ways: (1) teachers asking students to discover the types of errors made and correct them independently; (2) teachers underlining or circling errors for the students; (3) teachers using a system of symbols to represent the categories of common grammatical errors.

Students expect feedback from teachers to help them understand their strengths in writing and identify areas for improvement (Leki, Cumming, & Silva, 2010). In this regard, Ferris (2011) showed that teachers’ error feedback on different language features has some significant functions. First, it helps students to become aware of where their writing fails to follow the conventions of Standard Written English. Second, it helps them to develop their editing skills by drawing their attention to patterned errors. Moreover, it helps students to write more accurately over time and value feedback. Finally, careful feedback sends a strong message emphasising that clear and appropriate language forms are important aspects of effective communication (Frodesen & Holten, 2011).

Aspects of feedback to which teachers attend are important. Irons (2008) referred to three aspects of feedback that enhance students’ learning and lead to a good student-teacher relationship: feedback, quality of feedback, and timeliness of feedback. In addition, teachers respond in their feedback to aspects such as students’ ideas, rhetorical organisation, grammatical and lexical choices, and mechanics of writing such as spelling and punctuation (Leki et al., 2010). Teachers’ feedback on these aspects of EFL writing is crucial since it impacts students’ intrinsic and extrinsic motivation (Irons, 2008). Therefore, teachers’ feedback must be constructive in order to help students identify their mistakes and encourage them to continue to develop their writing until they master it. Such constructive feedback has the potential to help teachers create a supportive teaching environment, convey and model ideas about good writing, and develop ways through which students can talk about their writing, mediate the relationship between their sociocultural worlds, and become familiar with their new literacy practices (Hyland & Hyland, 2010).

Previous research stresses the importance and need for feedback in English writing instruction in different Arab world contexts (Seliem & Ahmed, 2009; Adas & Bakir, 2013; Ahmed & Abouabdelkader, 2016, 2018). Written feedback is an essential factor that is missing in some EFL writing classes (Ahmed, 2016; Ahmed & Abouabdelkader, 2018). For example, Seliem and Ahmed (2009) highlighted that teachers’ electronic feedback on students’ writing impacts upon students’ revision and provides a positive learning experience. The lack of written feedback urged one author, in the Emirati context, to conduct an experiment measuring the effect of written corrective feedback (WCF) on developing Emirati students’ academic writing (Solloway, 2016).

Feedback in EFL Writing Arab World

The present chapter reviews the issues, contexts, and challenges related to the provision of feedback practices in EFL writing instruction in the following eighteen Arab countries: Algeria, Kingdom of Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Sultanate of Oman, Palestine, the State of Qatar, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Yemen.

Feedback Practices in Algeria

Based on the present author’s review of the literature, a few studies have been conducted in the Algerian context to measure the effects of coded content feedback, peer feedback, and weblogs on developing students’ EFL writing performance (Baghzou, 2011; Moussaoui, 2012; Mansouri, 2017). First, Baghzou (2011) conducted a quantitative study to measure the effect of coded content feedback on the written performance of sixty sophomore Algerian learners. A quasi-experimental design and pre-tests and post-tests were used. Results showed that the experimental group of students, instructed using coded feedback, differed statistically from the control group students who received no feedback. In addition, the content coded feedback had improved students’ written performance.

Second, another quantitative research measured the effect of peer feedback on developing Algerian students’ writing autonomy (Moussaoui, 2012). Using pre-surveys and post-surveys, class observations and peer-evaluation rubrics, the research results indicated that the experimental group of students socially interacted during the peer-evaluation process and exhibited positive attitudes towards peer feedback. Peer review was found to reduce students’ writing apprehension and augment their writing self-efficacy. Moreover, when students got involved in reading, rethinking, and revising, they were able to try new writing tasks independently and develop their writing autonomy.

The third study integrated technology in the form of weblogs to understand their impact on developing Algerian students’ English writing performance (Mansouri, 2017). Participants enumerated the many beneficial uses of the weblog. First, weblogs were marked by authenticity and interaction where students shared their reflections, experiences, and assessed their achievements. Second, weblogs motivated students to write for purposes other than examinations. Third, we...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Feedback in EFL Writing: Arab World Contexts, Issues, and Challenges
• Part I. Perceptions of Feedback in L2 English Writing
• Part II. Feedback Practices in L2 English Writing
• Back Matter