The Influence of Grouping Modes on Negotiation of Meaning in Peer Review: A Case of a Japanese EFL University Writing Classroom

抄録

Peer review is considered as one of the important components of process-oriented writing instruction. It is believed that language learners benefit from negotiating meaning in peer review for their language development and learning. This study investigated how peer reviewers in pairs and groups of three pointed out problematic parts in writing to understand the influence of the two grouping modes on negotiation of meaning in peer review. It included twelve students in a Japanese EFL university writing classroom. It was found that the students pointed out more problematic parts in groups of three than in pairs because the two peer reviewers in each group collaborated by pooling their skills and knowledge of English. When they worked in groups of three, there were differences in the amount of output among the peer reviewers depending on what approach they used, turn taking or division of roles: a facilitator and an attentive participant. Despite the differences in the amount of output, all the peer reviewers contributed to negotiation of meaning. Overall, whether they worked in pairs or groups of three, they pointed out many more problematic parts than the students from the previous study (Kaneko, 2017), whose findings were reflected in the peer review exercises in this study. This study also confirmed the importance of carefully considering factors which affect language learners’ peer review experience in designing peer review.