An Analysis of Written Feedback on ESL Students’ Writing

This paper provides an analysis of written feedback on ESL students’ written assignment to shed light on how the feedback acts as a type of written speech between the lecturer and student. It first looks at two sources of data: in-text feedback and overall feedback written by the lecturer on the students’ written assignment. Looking at how language is used in its situational context, the feedback was coded and a model for analysis was developed based on two primary roles of speech: directive and expressive. Based on this analysis, the paper discusses the type(s) of feedback that benefit students the most. This study provides insights as to how the student felt with each type of feedback. It also provides insights into the possibility of developing a taxonomy of good feedback practices by considering the views of the giver and receiver of written feedback.