The Impact of Teacher Feedback vs. Student Self-assessment Using Rubrics on EFL Learners’ Writing Enhancement

Abstract

This paper presents a small scale exploratory study on the impact of teacher feedback vs. student self-assessment using rubrics on EFL learners’ writing enhancement conducted in the Experimental English Classes (EEC), organized by the Center for Research in Applied Linguistics (CRAL) at the American University of Armenia (AUA). The purpose of this study is three-fold. First, it aims at investigating the relationship between students’ self-assessment through rubrics and writing enhancement. Second, it tries to reveal students’ personal attitudes towards rubrics as a self-assessment tool to enhance writing skills, as well as towards teacher’s feedback and students’ self-assessment. Third, it reveals the effectiveness of teacher’s feedback vs.student’s self-assessment on student’s written output. The study is experimental. For the answers to the issues under investigation qualitative and quantitative research methods were implemented. The quantitative data taken from a seven-week English course through pre and post-treatment tests with instruction between them showed that both teacher feedback and student self-assessment had improved students’ writing at the end of the treatment. However, there was not a statistically significant difference between the performance of those who received teacher feedback and those who assessed their writings themselves. The qualitative data showed that students’ attitudes are quite positive in terms of rubrics, student self-assessment and teacher feedback.