Moroccan EFL Public University Instructors’ Perceptions and Self-Reported Practices of Written Feedback
Abstract
Background. Since the 1990s, teachers’ written corrective feedback (WCF) has been recognized as vital in addressing linguistic issues or product aspects of writing. However, it is necessary to go beyond error correction and focus on written feedback (WF) that concerns other areas of process writing. Still, teachers’ thinking on these issues is often an under-explored area.
Purpose. This study aimed to explore EFL instructors’ perceptions and their self-reported practices of product- and process-based WF in the writing context of tertiary education.
Methods. The exploratory quantitative study collected data from 51 Moroccan EFL writing instructors through a self-developed questionnaire. The questionnaire items regarding perceptions and self-reported practices were valid and acceptable for factor analysis of nine subscales covering the features of product- and process-based WF, and all of them proved to be reliable. This structure allowed several comparisons during data analysis.
Results. Concerning product-oriented WF, participants perceived applying WCF and WF modes on the written text as important techniques. As part of process-based WF, most of them highly valued effective WF modes in the writing process. Regarding their self-reported practices of product-based WF, instructors stated that they often employed WF modes on the written text. Within the process-based WF, they reported using judgemental feedback and effective WF modes as their most frequent practices. The comparisons between perceptions and self-reported practices showed mismatches in four subscales, including WCF, content-based WF related to macroaspects of writing, developing evaluative judgement, and effective WF modes in the writing process. Thus, instructors admitted the importance of WF in these areas although they acknowledged applying their practices less frequently.
Conclusions. This study verified the psychometric properties of a self-constructed questionnaire, which was justified to be appropriate to explore teachers’ perceptions and self-reported practices regarding WF. The results obtained from the different subscales support the effectiveness of WCF and allow the exploration of a new conceptualisation of WF as a process.
Downloads
References
Abouabdelkader, S. (2018). Moroccan EFL university students' composing skills in the balance: Assessment procedures and outcomes. In A. Ahmed, & H. Abouabdelkader (Eds.), Assessing EFL writing in the 21st century Arab world (pp. 79-109). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Al Kharusi, F. M., & Al-Mekhlafi, A. M. (2019). The practice of teachers' written corrective feedback as perceived by EFL teachers and supervisors.International Journal of Higher Education, 8(6), 120-137. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/ijhe.v8n6p120
Alshahrani, A., & Storch, N. (2014). Investigating teachers' written corrective feedback practices in a Saudi EFL context: How do they align with their beliefs, institutional guidelines, and students' preferences? Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 37(2), 101-122. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/aral.37.2.02als
Ashwell, T. (2000). Patterns of teacher response to student writing in a multiple-draft composition classroom: Is content feedback followed by form feedback the best method? Journal of Second Language Writing, 9(3), 227-257. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(00)00027-8
Beaugrande, R., & Dressler, W. (1981/1992).Introduction to text linguistics. Longman.
Bitchener, J., & Ferris, D. (2012). Written corrective feedback in second language acquisition and writing. Routledge.
Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2010). Raising the linguistic accuracy level of advanced L2 writers with written corrective feedback. Journal of Second Language Writing, 19(4), 207-217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2010.10.002
Bouzenirh, F. (1991). Errors of composition. In El Haddad E., & M. Najbi (Eds.), English Language Teaching in the Maghreb: Focus on the Learner (pp. 113-126). Tetouan.
Bowen, N. E. J. A., Thomas, N., & Vandermeulen, N. (2022). Exploring feedback and regulation in online writing classes with keystroke logging. Computers and Composition, 63, 1-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compcom.2022.102692
Brookhart, S. M. (2008). How to give effective feedback to your students. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Brooks, C., Burton, R., van der Kleij, F., Ablaza, C., Carroll, A., Hattie, J., & Neill, S. (2021). Teachers activating learners: The effects of a student-centred feedback approach on writing achievement. Teaching and Teacher Education, 105, 1-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2021.103387
Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315-1325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354
Cheng, X., Zhang, L. J., & Yan, Q. (2021). Exploring teacher written feedback in EFL writing classrooms: Beliefs and practices in interaction. Language Teaching Research, 1-31. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211057665
Child, D. (2006). The essentials of factor analysis (3rd ed). Continuum.
Cho, S. (2015). Writing teacher views on teacher feedback: A shift from grammar corrector to motivator. Journal of Asia TEFL, 12(3), 33-59. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2015.12.3.2.33
Ellis, R. (1998). Teaching and research: Options in grammar teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 32(1), 39-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3587901
Ferguson, P. (2011). Student perceptions of quality feedback in teacher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36(1), 51-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602930903197883
Ferris, D. (1999). The case for grammar correction in L2 writing classes: A response to Truscott (1996). Journal of Second Language Writing, 8(1), 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s1060-3743(99)80110-6
Ferris, D. R. (2003). Response to student writing: Implications for second language students. Routledge.
Ferris, D. R. (2004). The Grammar Correction debate in L2 writing: Where are we, and where do we go from here? (and what do we do in the meantime..?). Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(1), 49-62. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.04.005
Ferris, D. R. (2010). Second language writing research and written corrective feedback in SLA: Intersections and practical applications. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(2), 181-201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263109990490
Ferris, D., & Roberts, B. (2001). Error feedback in L2 writing classes: How explicit does it need to be? Journal of Second Language Writing, 10(3), 161-184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(01)00039-X
Field, A. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Flower, L. & Hayes, J. (1980). Identifying the organization of writing processes. In L. W. Gregg & E. R. Steinberg (Eds.): Cognitive processes in writing: An interdisciplinary approach (pp. 3-30). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Gul, R. B., Tharani, A., Lakhani, A., Rizvi, N. F., & Ali, S. K. (2016). Teachers' perceptions and practices of written feedback in higher education. World Journal of Education, 6(3), 10-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v6n3p10
Guo, Y., Puranik, C., Dinnesen, M. S., & Hall, A. H. (2022). Exploring kindergarten teachers' classroom practices and beliefs in writing. Reading and Writing, 35(2), 457-478. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-021-10193-y
Haines, C. (2004). Assessing students' written work: Marking essays and reports. Routledge.
Hayes, J. R. (1996). A new framework for understanding cognition and affect in writing. In C. M. Levy & S. Randall (Eds.), The science of writing: Theories, methods, individual differences, and applications (pp. 1-27). Erlbaum.
Hayes, J. R. (2012). Modeling and remodeling writing. Written Communication, 29(3), 369-388. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0741088312451260
Henderson, M., Phillips, M., Ryan, T., Boud, D., Dawson, P., Molloy, E., & Mahoney, P. (2019). Conditions that enable effective feedback. Higher Education Research & Development, 38(7), 1401-1416. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2019.1657807
Hillocks, G. (1986). Research on written composition: New directions for teaching. National Conference on Research in English.
Hyland, K. (2003). Second language writing. Cambridge University Press.
Hyland, K. (2013). Student perceptions of hidden messages in teacher written feedback. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 39(3), 180-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2013.06.003
Irimiea, S. (2008). Text linguistics. Presa Universitara Clujeana.
Javadi-Safa, A. (2018). A brief overview of key issues in second language writing teaching and research.International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 6(2), 15-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.6n.2p.15
Jebbour, M. (2021). English language teaching in Morocco: A focus on the English department. The Journal of North African Studies, 26(1), 103-115. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13629387.2019.1681267
Jodaie, M., & Farrokhi, F. (2012). An exploration of private language institute teachers' perceptions of written grammar feedback in EFL classes. English Language Teaching, 5(2), 58-67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n2p58
Junqueira, L., & Payant, C. (2015). I just want to do it right, but it's so hard: A novice teacher's written feedback beliefs and practices. Journal of Second Language Writing, 27, 19-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.11.001
Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31-36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02291575
Keh, C. (1990). Feedback in the writing process: A model and methods for implementation. ELT Journal, 44(4), 294-304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/44.4.294
Kepner, C. G. (1991). An experiment in the relationship of types of written feedback to the development of secondlanguage writing skills. The Modern Language Journal, 75(3), 305-313. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1991.tb05359.x
Koenka, A. C., & Anderman, E. M. (2019). Personalized feedback as a strategy for improving motivation and performance among middle school students. Middle School Journal, 50(5), 15-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00940771.2019.1674768
Koenka, A. C., Linnenbrink-Garcia, L., Moshontz, H., Atkinson, K. M., Sanchez, C. E., & Cooper, H. (2019). A meta-analysis on the impact of grades and comments on academic motivation and achievement: A case for written feedback. Educational Psychology, 41(7), 922-947. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410.2019.1659939
Lee, H. H., Leong, A. P., & Song, G. (2017). Investigating teacher perceptions of feedback. ELT Journal, 71(1), 60-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccw047
Lee, I. (2008). Understanding teachers' written feedback practices in Hong Kong secondary classrooms. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17(2), 69-85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.10.001
Lee, I. (2009). Ten mismatches between teachers' beliefs and written feedback practice. ELT Journal, 63(1), 13-22. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccn010
Li, J., & Barnard, R. (2011). Academic tutors' beliefs about and practices of giving feedback on students' written assignments: A New Zealand case study. Assessing Writing, 16(2), 137-148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2011.02.004
Liu, Q., & Wu, S. (2019). Same goal, varying beliefs: How students and teachers see the effectiveness of feedback on second language writing. Journal of Writing Research, 11(2), 299-330. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17239/jowr-2019.11.02.03
MacCallum, R. C., Widaman, K. F., Zhang, S., & Hong, S. (1999). Sample size in factor analysis. Psychological Methods, 4(1), 84-99. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989x.4.1.84
Mao, S. S., & Crosthwaite, P. (2019). Investigating written corrective feedback: (Mis)alignment of teachers' beliefs and practice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 45, 46-60. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.05.004
Mikhchi, H.H. (2011). Standards of textuality: Rendering English and Persian texts based on a textual model. Journal of Universal Language, 12 (1), 47-74. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22425/jul.2011.12.1.47
Min, H. T. (2013). A case study of an EFL writing teacher's belief and practice about written feedback. System, 41(3), 625-638. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2013.07.018
Myles, J. (2002). Second language writing and research: The writing process and error analysis in student texts. TESL-EJ, 6(2), 1-20.
Nicol, D. (2010). From monologue to dialogue: improving written feedback processes in mass higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), 501-517. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602931003786559
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199-218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572090
Nieminen, J. H., Tai, J., Boud, D., & Henderson, M. (2022). Student agency in feedback: beyond the individual. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(1), 95-108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1887080
Nguyen, H. T., & Filipi, A. (2018). Multiple-draft/multiple-party feedback practices in an EFL tertiary writing course: Teachers' and students' perspectives. International Education Studies, 11(8), 1-26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v11n8p1
Nguyen, L. T. T. (2019). A case study of teacher feedback on Thai university students' essay writing. GEMA Online Journal of Language Studies, 19(2), 121-138. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2019-1902-08
Ouahidi, M., & Lamkhanter, F. (2017). How do higher education students perceive feedback? International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 10(2), 609-619.
Ouahidi, M., & Lamkhanter, F. (2020). Students' perceptions about teachers' written feedback on writing in a Moroccan university context. In A. Ahmed, S. Troudi, & S. Riley (Eds.), Feedback in L2 English writing in the Arab world (pp. 35-63). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25830-6_2
Ouakrime, M. (2000). The new education reform in Morocco: The role of English. In Zaki A. (eds), Proceedings of the 20th MATE Annual Conference, An Argument for a more Formative Approach to Assessment in ELT in Morocco (pp. 60-66). Kenitra.
Pituch, K. A., & Stevens, J. P. (2016). Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences (6th ed.). Tyler & Francis.
Polio, C., Fleck, C., & Leder, N. (1998). If I only had more time: ESL learnters' changes in linguistic accuracy on essay revisions. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(1), 43-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(98)90005-4
Pramila, N. (2017). Approaches to teaching English writing: A research note. Studies in Foreign Language Education, 39, 141-148.
Puengpipattrakul, W. (2014). A process approach to writing to develop Thai EFL students' socio-cognitive skills. Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 11(2), 270-284.
Purnomo, W. W., Basthomi, Y., & Prayogo, J. A. (2021). EFL university teachers' perspectives in written corrective feedback and their actual applications. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 10(3), 1089-1099. DOI: https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v10i3.21641
Rukmana, D. (2022).Interval scale. In B. B. Frey (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of research design (2nd ed, pp. 725-727). Sage Publications, Inc.
Said, K., & Mouzrati, A. E. (2018). Investigating teacher written corrective feedback as a formative assessment tool. Arab World English Journal, 9(4), 232-241. DOI: https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol9no4.17
Sakrak-Ekin, G., & Balçikanli, C. (2019). Written corrective feedback: EFL teachers' beliefs and practices. Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 19(1), 114-128.
Sia, D., & Cheung, Y. L. (2017). Written corrective feedback in writing instruction: A qualitative synthesis of recent research. Issues in Language Studies, 6(1), 61-80. DOI: https://doi.org/10.33736/ils.478.2017
Stewart, M. (2015): The language of praise and criticism in a student evaluation survey. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 45, 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2015.01.004
Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Panadero, E. (2018). Developing evaluative judgement: Enabling students to make decisions about the quality of work. Higher Education, 76(3), 467-481. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0220-3
Truscott, J. (1996). The case against grammar correction in L2 writing classes. Language Learning, 46(2), 327-369. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1996.tb01238.x
Truscott, J. (2001). Selecting errors for selective error correction. Concentric: Studies in Linguistics, 27(2), 93-108.
Truscott, J. (2004). Evidence and conjecture on the effects of correction: A response to Chandler. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(4), 337-343. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.05.002
Truscott, J. (2007). The effect of error correction on learners' ability to write accurately. Journal of Second Language Writing, 16(4), 255-272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.06.003
Tsui, A. B., & Ng, M. (2000). Do secondary L2 writers benefit from peer comments? Journal of second language writing, 9(2), 147-170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s1060-3743(00)00022-9
Vattøy, K., & Smith, K. (2019). Students' perceptions of teachers' feedback practice in teaching English as a foreign language. Teaching and Teacher Education, 85, 260-268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.06.024
Wei, W., & Cao, Y. (2020). Written corrective feedback strategies employed by university English lecturers: A teacher cognition perspective. SAGE Open, 10(3), 1-12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n9p177
Wicking, D. (2022). Categorizing continuous data. In B. B. Frey (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of research design (2nd ed, pp. 170-172). Sage Publications, Inc.
Winstone, N., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Heron, M. (2022). From feedback-as-information to feedback-as-process: a linguistic analysis of the feedback literature. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(2), 213-230. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1902467
Yang, H. (2022). Factor loadings. In B. B. Frey (Ed.), The SAGE encyclopedia of research design (2nd ed, pp. 560-563). Sage Publications, Inc.
Yang, L., Zhang, L., Li, C., Wang, K., Fan, L., & Yu, R. (2021). Investigating EFL teachers' beliefs and practices about written corrective feedback: A large-scale study. Language Teaching Research Quarterly, 25, 29-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32038/ltrq.2021.25.03
Zaman, M. M., Azad, M., & Kalam, A. (2012). Feedback in EFL writing at tertiary level: Teachers' and learners' perceptions. ASA University Review, 6(1), 139-156.
Yu, S., Zheng, Y., Jiang, L., Liu, C., & Xu, Y. (2021). I even feel annoyed and angry: Teacher emotional experiences in giving feedback on student writing. Assessing Writing, 48, 1-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100528
Zyad, H., & Bouziane, A. (2020). The effect of EFL correction practices on developing Moroccan students' English writing skills. In A. Ahmed, S. Troudi, & S. Riley (Eds.), Feedback in L2 English writing in the Arab world (pp. 113-138). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.
Copyright (c) 2022 National Research University Higher School of Economics

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the Copyright Notice.