The impact of classroom oral interactions on academic literacy development: Pedagogical implications and learning strategies

2021 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K13074
• Research Institution: Kanda University of International Studies
• Principal Investigator: 望月 尚子 神田外語大学, 外国語学部, 准教授 (10835789)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2025-03-31
• Keywords: peer feedback / genre knowledge

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

I reviewed some literature on the role of oral interactions in learning to write. Through the literature review, my focus was tuned to students' perception of peer feedback and their appropriation of the feedback for revising. I developed data-collection instruments: annotated drafts and reflection on the revising process. I piloted these instruments in an EAP course I was teaching. In the annotated drafts, I asked the students to annotate for each feedback they received including what actions they took and why they responded to the feedback in that way. Overall, these research instruments worked well to collect students’ perceptions while responding feedback and revising. I added minor adjustment to the instruments. To improve the data collection isntruments further, I added specific points for the students to annotate, that is, moves and linguistic features the students chose to utilize for their writing.
Based on the literature review of the research on genre-approaches to second langauge writing, I developed three sets of literercy history surveys. The aim of these surveys includes their literacy history (what kind of writing the students have experienced) in Japanese and English at school as well as outside school.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Due to the Covid-19 situation, it took longer than I expected to develop and pilot the data collection instruments for face-to-face peer feedback. Therefore, data organization and interview data transcription started later than I had planned.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

Althourh the data-collection instruments I developed worked well overall in the pilot study, I failed to collect some students' data due to the technical issues they had. When collecting data in 2022, I will give more detailed instruction on how to annotate using online word processors and ask a research assistant to be present to solve students’ technical issues. In 2022, I resume data collection in an EAP course I teach. In the second half of 2022, I will begin with analyzing the data along with continuing further data collection.

Causes of Carryover

Due to the delay of the pilot data organization and analysis, I could not conclude the pilot study for a presentation at a conference or writing a journal article this year. I plan to spend the funding next year on hiring a research assistant to organize collected data, transcribing recorded interviews and peer feedback. Also I plan to spend some funding on attending a conference to present the findings of my pilot study later in the next fiscal year.