Extended Explanation of FEEDBACK app

In language learning, using language in meaningful communication is essential, and language teachers must design learning activities that encourage this experience. Meaningful communication is even more crucial in foreign language learning classes, such as the English Language learning in Indonesia. The process-oriented approach to writing promotes communicative activities through its cyclical process of drafting, peer feedback, and revision. Peer feedback is a crucial component of the process-oriented approach to writing based on Vygotsky’s Zone Proximal Development (ZPD) concept (Vygotsky, 1978), which is that learners can maximize their gains through interaction/collaboration with others. Embedding this approach in language classes can help students grow their communicative competencies. Although giving peer feedback can help students improve their writing product and, at the same time, provide a favorable circumstance to exercise Language skills in a meaningful context. However, culture and language proficiency level can be the challenges in providing the favorable circumstances.  In Indonesia's English as a Foreign Language setting, for example, face-to-face peer feedback can be awkward and embarrassing since the students are not accustomed to giving direct feedback to a particular person.

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Furthermore, with limited language proficiency, one student will work hard to provide peer feedback for a long time. With time constraints, other challenges might also arise, such as students' infrequent use of peer feedback and learners' predisposition to address local issues in texts, such as grammar and vocabulary, more repeatedly compared to global writing issues, such as content and organization. The process-oriented approach in writing is a multi-stage process of drafting-feedback-revision. A process-oriented approach takes more time and requires more effort to finish compared to a product-oriented approach in writing. Motivation and engagement are critical for a successful process writing activity and can pose a significant challenge if the activity is not well-planned. Teachers, on the other hand, can be overwhelmed in facilitating the process-writing activity. They must keep track of students' progress from all the drafts they produce. Without good housekeeping of students’ drafts, teachers can lose track and not see students progressing. Implementing process writing activities may seem impractical given all of the challenges of culture, language proficiency, time constraints, and class documentation management. Feedback provided by the online peer feedback application can help teachers and students tackle all the challenges and be more successful in their language teaching and learning process.

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This online peer feedback application is designed to serve teachers and students in a foreign language class. The tool is primarily designed for first-year college students in a country where it is difficult to be immersed in meaningful communication in the target language, such as students learning English as a foreign language in Indonesia. However, teachers and students of English as a Foreign Language class in any educational setting, such as senior high schools, graduate-level programs, or private English language Institutes, can use this online tool if they use a process-oriented approach in their writing class. Furthermore, a non-formal educational body, such as an English class held by a community or by an institution as a form of service, can also take advantage of this tool if they have a writing class in their program. Moreover, any English as a foreign language learning group can use this online tool to help a class of individual students see themselves as a community of writers.

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The process-writing-oriented tool has these features to support teachers and students: (1) iteration process; (2) feedback function; (3) badges and leaderboard; and (4) product documentation. The tool’s iterative processes provide students ample opportunities for multiple drafting, feedback, and revision. The writing process was adapted from a process-oriented approach to writing (Emig, 1971); (Hyland, 2003); (Oshima & Hogue, 2007) with the following steps: (1) topic selection, (2) prewriting, (3) draft writing, (4) revising, (5) editing, and (6) publication. In addition, the teacher can program the process into several stages based on topics and main feedback focuses. The teacher can determine the duration of the iterative process duration based on the class's needs. These cyclical activities provide students with many circumstances for meaningful communication and writing practice on the online platform. The main feature of this tool is the feedback function. The feedback from peers can be given after the first draft has been submitted, progressing into the revising, editing, and publishing process. Based on the class's needs, the teacher can decide whether the feedback will be done in class or small group setting. Students’ level of language proficiency can be considered in their grouping decisions. On the feedback page, students will read their group members’ draft, and they can highlight part of the draft and input their feedback. The teacher can set the goals of the feedback on every session, such as grammar and mechanics or the piece's content. This way, the teacher can direct students to focus not only on local issues in texts, such as grammar and vocabulary, but also on global issues in writing, such as content and organization. Once the students at the receiving end of the feedback have read it, they can decide whether to use it for the next revision and drafting process. As a complementary activity completed outside of scheduled class time, this can provide more time and flexibility for reflection in contrast to the time constraints when process-writing activities are only completed during class time. The next feature of the application is badges and leaderboard. They are designed to help keep students motivated and engaged in the process. Every student will receive one feedback badge after they submit their feedback. In addition, the students receiving feedback can grant them one of the three badges based on their perception of the feedback's usefulness: Gold (very helpful), silver (helpful), and bronze (somewhat helpful).

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Along with the badges, they can also send notes and other information using text, pictures, or short videos concerning the feedback and the badges. Different badges are worth different points.  The overall scores will decide students' position on the leaderboard. The last feature is the documentation function. All the submissions, including the draft and their corresponding feedback, and the final products are documented in the tools cloud drive, which teachers can access anywhere and anytime. Teachers can use this document to group considerations that best support students’ progress. Furthermore, teachers can use these to assess students’ writing progress and language use in communication.

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The online peer feedback for process-oriented writing teaching and learning process is designed to help teachers and students tackle all the challenges and be more successful in their writing class while providing meaningful and contextual online communication. It is prepared for most types of English as a foreign language learning setting to help students experience writing as a drafting, feedback, and revising process. The tool's features are the iteration process, feedback function, badges and leaderboard, and product documentation. All the procedures are outlined to help them grow as a writer and, at the same time, practice their communication skills in online settings.

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References:

Emig, J. (1971). The composing process of twelfth graders. National Council of Teachers of English.

Hyland, K. (2003). Second Language Writing. Cambridge University Press.

Oshima, A., & Hogue, A. (2007). Introduction to academic English (3rd ed.). Pearson Education, Inc.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.