The effect of blog peer feedback on Turkish efl students' writing performance and their perceptions

The present study investigated; (a) the effect of blog peer feedback on Turkish EFL students? writing performance, (b) the type and nature of blog peer feedback sessions, and (c) the perceptions of Turkish EFL students on the use of blogs in their writing classes.Data were collected before, during, and after Spring 2008 term by using; a) Turkish EFL Students? Background Survey (adapted from Jones, 2006), b) interviews at the beginning and end of the term, c) first and second (or revised) drafts produced by the students, d) transcripts of peer feedback sessions, (e) End-of-semester Questionnaire (adapted from Jones, 2006). 30 first year Turkish EFL students in the Foreign Language Department at Yeditepe University participated in the study throughout the semester. The control group (15 students) attended in-class process approach integrated writing classes and utilized face-to-face oral discussions for peer feedback. The experimental group (15 students) attended classes in the computer laboratory and integrated blog peer feedback into their process oriented writing classes.The results of mixed factorial analysis of variances (ANOVA) revealed the effect of blog peer feedback on Turkish EFL students? writing performance. The students both in the control and experimental group improved their writing in their second drafts. However, those in the experimental group showed higher performance in second (or revised) drafts. In task comparison, it was revealed that the students? writing performance in both groups was the same throughout four tasks. Additionally, the students both in the control and experimental group showed a significant improvement on the major aspects of writing such as content, organization, vocabulary, language use, and mechanics. Moreover, no significant effect was found on the quantity of their writing as a result of word count analysis. Additionally, the analysis of peer feedback sessions indicated that the students in two groups benefitted from their peers? comments, and blog peer feedback comments were mostly about global issues while face-to-face peer comments mostly focused on local issues. Finally, the analysis of interviews and End-of-semester Questionnaire indicated positive perceptions of Turkish EFL students on the use of blogs in their writing classes. They considered blogs as an effective tool for improving their writing skills.The present study, which is one of the very few studies on instructional technologies in Turkey, has noteworthy contributions to the field. This study also provides educational researchers and EFL writing teachers with implications for the teaching of EFL writing and recommendations for further research.