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Textfeedback zwischen Mündlichkeit und Schriftlichkeit - Eine empirische Untersuchung von Peer-Feedback im Rahmen des "Writing Fellow Programms" an der Europa-Universität Viadrina -

  • In 2014 so called “Writing Fellow Programs” are introduced for the first time into the German university scene at the universities of Frankfurt an der Oder and Frankfurt am Main. Meant to foster the development of “good writing habits” (Haring-Smith 1992/2000: 124) these kinds of programs bring together students, teachers and tutors in the work on literacy, texts and (scientific) writing. For the time of one semester experienced writing tutors work together with the teachers and students of one chosen seminar. They make teachers reflect on ways of integrating the teaching of writing in their classes and give students written and oral (peer-) feedback on two texts they have to write in the course of the given semester. These measures are likely to favor the exchange at eye level in between the members of university as well as the development of a “writing across a campus” (Hughes and Hall 2008) community. As the example of the Writing Fellow Program at the European University Viadrina shows, peer tutorsIn 2014 so called “Writing Fellow Programs” are introduced for the first time into the German university scene at the universities of Frankfurt an der Oder and Frankfurt am Main. Meant to foster the development of “good writing habits” (Haring-Smith 1992/2000: 124) these kinds of programs bring together students, teachers and tutors in the work on literacy, texts and (scientific) writing. For the time of one semester experienced writing tutors work together with the teachers and students of one chosen seminar. They make teachers reflect on ways of integrating the teaching of writing in their classes and give students written and oral (peer-) feedback on two texts they have to write in the course of the given semester. These measures are likely to favor the exchange at eye level in between the members of university as well as the development of a “writing across a campus” (Hughes and Hall 2008) community. As the example of the Writing Fellow Program at the European University Viadrina shows, peer tutors have to face a major challenge when working in the program. Being experienced in providing oral feedback, they often lack experience in providing written feedback which may lead to severe communication problems. This observation serves as a starting point for the present study which pursues several goals. First of all it aims at figuring out how Writing Fellows at European University Viadrina provide written feedback and in which ways they take into account the guidelines for oral feedback they learned during their formation. In addition to that the present study tries to find out how written feedback is used and evaluated by students and tutors in the course of the oral consultations. The findings of the analysis will be used to provide general guidance and advice for (future) Writing Fellows who work in the program. The above mentioned goals are pursued by analyzing three types of documents which are: written feedback in form of personal letters and text commentaries as well as protocols which resume the course of the oral consultations. All these documents were drafted by four Writing Fellows who participated in the program in 2014. The method used for the analysis is the “qualitative content analysis” as presented by Philipp Mayring. The results of the analysis indicate that the Writing Fellows at European University Viadrina regard personal letters and text commentaries as equally important. They use both forms of written feedback even if, following the program guidelines, they are not obliged to provide text commentaries. The analysis also indicates that text commentaries are more precise than personal letters which contain more or less global feedback. All in all the Writing Fellows seem to stick to the guidelines for oral feedback they learned during their formation. They even try to add forms non-verbal communication to their written feedback by working with emoticons. Still, one has to state that the Writing Fellows are all struggling with the aspect of directivity. They are, at the same time, correcting the texts of the students and providing feedback, meaning commentaries, which are not necessarily self-explaining and which, therefore, contain potential for misunderstandings. Concerning the content of the written feedback one can say that it is extremely diverse, touching aspects such as the composition and intelligibility of the text in hand as well as punctuation and orthography. In the course of the oral consultations the written feedback – in form of text commentaries – is often used as a guideline for the conversation. The analysis of the protocols also suggests that, during the conversation with the students, Writing Fellows receive a feedback on the quality and helpfulness of the written feedback they provided – a feedback which is not always benevolent. The analysis shows furthermore that too many comments made by the Writing Fellows are not perceived as a motivation by the students but as a personal attack and demotivation. All in all it seems that Writing Fellows at Viadrina University should be more prepared for the particularities of written communication before working in the program. They should probably focus more on the quality of their written feedback than on its quantity and be aware of the fact that their interlocutor is not present and cannot direct immediately to their feedback. Writing Fellows apparently should also keep in mind that they do not need to comment everything that gets their attention in the students’ texts just as they should prepare for negative feedback on their own work.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Jana Gutendorf
URN:urn:nbn:de:kobv:521-opus4-2006
Series (Serial Number):Schreiben im Zentrum, Schriftenreihe zur Schreibzentrumsforschung (7)
Publisher:Schreibzentrum der Europa-Universität Viadrina
Place of publication:Frankfurt (Oder)
Editor:Katrin Girgensohn
Document Type:Book
Language:German
Date of Publication (online):2016/01/14
Publishing Institution:Europa-Universität Viadrina Frankfurt
Release Date:2016/01/25
Tag:Schreibdidaktik; Writing Fellow Programm
Peer-Feedback; Writing Fellow
GND Keyword:Feedback; Mündlichkeit; Schriftlichkeit
Page Number:223
Institutes:Schreibzentrum Europa-Universität Viadrina
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 - Namensnennung-Nicht kommerziell-Keine Bearbeitung
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