ASSESSING THE PRACTICE AND EFFECTS OF PEER FEEDBACK ON STUDENTS‟ WRITING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AT ADET PREPARAT ORY SCHOOL: GRADE 11 IN FOCUS

Abstract

This study was conducted in Adet preparatory school of Grade 11 students in West Gojjam Zone, particularly Yilmana Densa Worda Adet Preparatory School, situated in Amhara regional State. The study attempted to find out assessing the practice and the effect of peer feedback on students‟ writing skills development. To achieve the objectives of this research a mixed research design has been used. This helped the researcher to employ both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. To collect the necessary data for the study, questionnaires were conducted for 40 samples of students as the main data collecting tool. Besides, interview was employed for 4 teachers and 5students as supporting so as to validate finding the questionnaire. Pilot tested to check reliability of the items. The instruments used for the research purpose were: questionnaire, classroom observation, and interview were used.. The data from the above sources was synthesize and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, the quantitative data were analyzed using numbers and percentage, and the qualitative data were transcribed and narrated in words. The study revealed that teachers do not have awareness about the important of peer feedback for students. The results of the study imply that peer feedback is more helpful for higher proficiency students. However, teachers lacked of interest, limited exposure to peer feedback. From the results of the research, it is recommended that teachers should first teach students how to give peer feedback and then allow them to practice it more frequently. Based on the findings, it was suggested that peer feedback should be used primarily to encourage students to rewrite their feelings, opinions, in learning writing. Therefore it recommends that the writing teachers in Adet preparatory School should do more effort to introduce use peer feedback in helping students to improve their writing.