Investigating changes in students' writing feedback preferences

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate students’ and teachers’ writing preferences, and whether students change their writing feedback preferences over a given period of time, and if so, whether there is an effect of the teachers’ feedback style in their change. The study was conducted with 200 pre-intermediate students and 11 teachers at Istanbul Technical University School of Foreign Languages. The data were collected through the students’ and teachers’ questionnaires, students’ writing papers, and students’ interviews. The results indicated that many students changed their writing feedback preferences over time. This change was not due to their teachers’ feedback styles, but due to the students’ self-consciousness of their development in their second language writing skill. The study suggests that teachers should first pay attention to their students’ feedback preferences, negotiate with students about their feedback styles, and then they should arrange their feedback style accordingly. The study also suggests that teachers should consider using various feedback styles according to students’ needs and development levels.