Teacher and Student Perceptions of Current Feedback Practices in English Writing Instruction

Abstract

This thesis is about the perceptions of current feedback practices in English writing in a context where formative assessment (FA) is an underlying pedagogy. It investigates both teacher and student perspectives. The study is conducted in Norway and is focused on the first-year upper secondary school level. The thesis is informed by three individually conducted studies: the first two are qualitative and investigate teacher and student perceptions of feedback that are addressed in Article I and II. The third study, which is reported in Article III, is quantitative and uses a survey to investigate student views on feedback. Overall, the findings have revealed that despite the mandated use of FA in Norway, and teachers’ attempts to adhere to this pedagogy, the reported perceptions of feedback practices fall short on the continuum of summative and formative assessment. Feedback practices are largely teacher-controlled, offering few opportunities for student involvement. The findings suggest that teachers need to re-think their approach to teaching writing. But, more importantly, schools have to work towards resolving the persistent problem with scheduling and workload hindrances that prevent more comprehensive work with writing.