The effect of peer feedback on writing anxiety in english as a foreign language students

It is obvious that language is a tool for communication and social interaction, so it is logical that learning and teaching a language is based on this philosophy. This view can be applied to all skills as well as writing because writing has a plethora of students who show how much they have learned. That is why it has an important place in Zirve University's English teaching program. The changes in teaching a second language and the needs of the learners have affected the way writing is taught. The product-based approach that only focuses on the last product has been replaced by the process-based approach, which requires multiple drafting, lots of collaboration with the teacher, and getting feedback from an outsider during revision stage. Gradually, collaboration among students and peer feedback have been used. Peer feedback is used in foreign language teaching and assessment, especially in teaching and assessing writing. Peer feedback improves students' writing skills by enabling them to assess their peer's products, to see their own weaknesses and strengths, to improve their own learning, and let them write in a stress-free environment. As a result of this, the present study aims to investigate the effects of using peer feedback on EFL students' writing anxiety and their perceptions towards the use of peer feedback in writing class at Zirve University. This study was carried out with 16 students studying in level C in the English Language Preparation Department of Zirve University. It lasted 8 weeks. To collect data, researcher's diary in which she wrote down her observations, interview 1, interview 2, and Second Language Writing Anxiety Inventory (SLWAI) were used. SLWAI was used as both pre- and post-test. Interviews were analyzed by using content analysis. Teacher diary was narrated. SLWAI results were analyzed by using descriptive statistics means and paired samples t-test. The content analysis of interviews and narration of teacher diary results show that the students had positive perceptions towards the use of peer feedback in writing classes. Also, the results of the study indicate that the students believed using peer feedback in writing classes decreased their writing anxiety, increased their confidence, and improved their writing by collaborating with and learning from each other. The quantitative results of the study indicate that the use of peer feedback in writing classes reduced their writing anxiety in terms of cognitive, somatic, and avoidance anxiety.