Teacher written feedback on higher order skills of writing: A case study of L2 Vietnamese students

Abstract

To date, the recent teacher written feedback (TWF) research has attempted to enhance an indepth understanding of the effectiveness of feedback in L2 writing. Accordingly, specific
learners have different preferences towards different types of feedback and teacher feedback
research on Vietnamese students’ writing at tertiary level, focusing on higher order skills of
writing (organization, content), seems modest in number. Acknowledging these issues, the
present study investigates the impacts of teacher
feedback on Vietnamese undergraduates’ writing
and their preferences towards different genres of feedback. Eight L2 Vietnamese undergraduates participated in the research project. They were
asked to conduct a pre-test at the beginning of the project. Subsequently, they were required to
submit four assignments during the 11-week project, and a post-test was carried out at the end
of the research. Learners then took part in a semi-structured interview. Results revealed that
teacher feedback improved learners’ performance in organization between main and supporting
ideas of the writing texts. Regarding the feedback, most students, particularly those with low
proficiency, favored direct written feedback and oral conferences. Also, formative assessment,
such as writing portfolios, homework assignments, and reflection, is clearly validated as an
effective assessment in teaching writing to these L2 Vietnamese learners, who used to be
familiar with summative assessment.