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Feedback Practices in University English Writing Classes in Tunisia: An Exploratory Study

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Feedback in L2 English Writing in the Arab World

Abstract

The present chapter describes a study conducted to explore how Tunisian university EFL teachers provide feedback on their students’ writing assignments. More specifically, the study investigates (a) the type of feedback provided by the teachers, (b) the writing features they focus on and (c) the theories and/or beliefs (if any) which inform their feedback practices. Data was collected from semi-structured interviews with the teachers and a questionnaire to the students, as well as teachers’ written feedback on samples of the students’ essays. The findings reveal that teachers seemed to possess some theoretical knowledge about feedback provision. On some occasions, however, they failed to translate that knowledge into concrete instructional practices. The results also showed that the teachers mainly focused on the provision of written corrective feedback, which suggests that they view feedback more as directive or corrective. The paper concludes with a call for the improvement of feedback practices through the provision of training programmes to help teachers align their practices with the best feedback practices recommended in the literature or internationally used in other higher education institutions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of English, Higher Institute of Languages of Tunis, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia

    Moez Athimni

Authors
  1. Moez Athimni
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Core Curriculum Program, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar

    Abdelhamid M. Ahmed

  2. Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

    Salah Troudi

  3. Graduate School of Education, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

    Susan Riley

Appendices

Appendix 1

Students’ Questionnaire About Feedback Practices in EFL Writing Courses in Tunisia

  • This questionnaire aims to collect background information about the way your teacher provides feedback on the essays or paragraphs you write for the writing courses at the ISLT. Your answers are very important and will be strictly confidential.

  • Please fill in the information requested.

  • This questionnaire includes three pages and may take about 10 minutes if you answer all the questions. Please return it to the person who gave it to you.

  • Thank you for your cooperation.

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Appendix 2

Teachers’ Structured Interview About Feedback Practices in EFL Writing Courses in Tunisia

  • This interview aims to collect background information about the way you provide feedback on your students’ writings. Your answers are very important and will be strictly confidential. Please fill in the information requested.

  • This questionnaire includes three pages and may take about 10 minutes if you answer all the questions. Please return it to the person who gave it to you.

  • Thank you for your cooperation.

figure d
figure e
figure f

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Athimni, M. (2020). Feedback Practices in University English Writing Classes in Tunisia: An Exploratory Study. In: Ahmed, A., Troudi, S., Riley, S. (eds) Feedback in L2 English Writing in the Arab World. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25830-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25830-6_6

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  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-25829-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-25830-6

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

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