Students' Response to Teachers' Feedback on Writing The Case of ...

The teachers’ responses revealed that 45% of them opted for feedback on grammar
and mechanics (option a); an equal rate (45%) opted for grammar and mechanics (option a)
along with content (option b); 5% opted for content only; and 5% chose option (d), others.
The statistics clearly indicate that there is a little harmony in the teachers’ opinions
concerning the most useful type of feedback. On the one hand, the respondents who supported
the first type (option a) justified their answer saying that such surface-level elements are the
key <strong>to</strong> shape and structure meanings; thus, if they are affected, the meaning of any written
piece will be lost. This argument seems reasonable considering the findings of question 7
which indicated that students had problems with surface-level skills most.
On the other hand, the other view that scored an equal percentage was justified as
well. For these teachers, writing is worth thinking of as a dicho<strong>to</strong>mous notion built upon both
micro-level and macro-level aspects. That is <strong>to</strong> say, surface-level and meaning-level elements
are complementary and cannot be separated as asserted by one of the teachers supporting this
view, “All of them are equally important because writing is (a-) form and (b-) content; one
cannot go without the other.”
Question item nineteen
How do you usually comment on errors you spot in your students’ writings?
a. Indicate where the error is and correct it for the students.
b. Indicate where the error is, what type it is, and let the student himself correct it
c. Indicate where the error is using symbols and let the student discover its type and correct it
d. Others: please, specify………………………………………………………………….
This question aims <strong>to</strong> elicit information about the teachers’ recurrent practices
concerning written comments provision. More specifically, it inquires the teachers about the
form/shape their written comments usually take. This is, actually, an issue that has constituted
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