Peer Feedback to Improve Message and Format of Writing Formal Letters in International Baccalaureate (IB) Students

Abstract

This study was carried out in an International Baccalaureate (IB) class of a public school from the coastal region of Ecuador. It aimed at improving format and message of formal letters using peer feedback facilitated by blogs. The IB program demands writing documents in several formats, one of those is letters. However, students were not writing formal letters successfully. The present action research used quantitative methods. It was conducted for six weeks and there were 17 participants. The quantitative instruments were a checklist, a pre- and post-test, a rubric, and a survey. At the end of the innovation, there was an improvement in the mean in the post-test compared to the pre-test. This determined a large effect size of 0.75. This innovation had a positive impact on students’ formal letters writing. Participants also improved the organization of ideas, addressed the prompt, content, spelling, and capitalization. The proper application of the writing process for educational purposes was evident. Awareness of the importance of peer feedback in a collaborative environment was also raised. This study is addressed to people involved in education such as authorities, teachers, and researchers who want to improve writing in their classes