Innovation in Language Learning

With the advance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), peer corrective feedback (PCF) in a web-based writing class can be conducted in a rigid process. The students can be assigned to give PCF on the grammar, organization, and content of their classmates\' work on a regular well-scheduled basis. This paper is a report on an experiment study which aimed at answering the question How effective is peer corrective feedback on the students\' mastery the grammatical and orgaizational skill? The students of both the experiment and control group learned academic writing in which they had to write paragraphs and short essays. The students of the experiment group had to assess their classmates\' work using online rubrics for the writing organization and to tag grammatical mistakes. The organization scores and grammatical tags were displayed in the students\' personal page for improvement. To answer the question, a pre-test, post-test, and questionnaire were given. The analysis of the gain scores of the two groups using T-test shows that the mastery of the organization and grammatical skills of the two groups is significantly different; (p=0.006 for the organizational skill and p=0.001 for the grammatical skill, df=48). Furthermore, the means of the organizational skill (1.47) and gramatical skill (0.42) gain scores of the experiment group are higher than those (0.74 and -0.05 respectively) in the control group. Thus, it can be said that PCF is effective in improving the students\' organization and grammatical skills. From the analaysis of the questionnaire, the study also shows that a regular web-based PCF significantly enhances the students\' ability to develop and organize their ideas and their grammatical competence. As they had to give an account on their feedbacks when their classmates required, the students did their best in assessing their classmates\' work. The knowledge on essay development and organization was, then, transferred when they had to write their own work. The task to tag the grammatical mistakes of their classmates\' work developed the students\' grammatical monitor ability. They became more sensitive to grammatical mistakes. Consequently, they also wrote their assignment grammatically better because of the grammatical sensitivity. PCF in a web-based writing class proves effective in the development of the students\' organization and grammatical skills. More aspects of the use of PCF can be studied to maximize the use of ICF for teaching writing. The students\' use of PCF which they get from their classmates, the student interaction, and their experience, for example, can be studied to maximize PCF.