Some Input on Input: Two Analyses of Student Response to Expert Feedback in L2 Writing

Abstract

Despite high interest in second language writers' revision processes, few studies have examined how learners perceive or incorporate expert feedback into their revisions. Combining quantitative and qualitative analyses, this study profiles students' awareness of the functions and influences of expert input in their writing. Data include results of a survey of foreign language and English as a second language writers' beliefs about feedback behaviors known to interact with revision processes. Factor analytic results show that, whereas writers in both groups share certain beliefs about feedback and revision, each group perceives expert response as serving distinct functions. Interview data reveal that instructional practices largely shape learners' expectations concerning the pedagogical goals of written feedback. Although tentative, evidence from these complementary studies supports the claim that insights in foreign and second writing research can be enhanced by a reasoned pairing of methodologies and that such tools can supply teachers with meaningful information.