A Comparative Study of the Effect of Self-revision, Peer Revision, and Teacher Revision on Second Language Learners’ Writing Performance

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the relative effectiveness of self-revision, peer revision, and teacher revision on the writing performance of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners. A total of 60 intermediate level EFL learners were randomly assigned to three groups: self-revision, peer revision, and teacher revision groups. Throughout the treatment, which consisted of 13 sessions lasting 70 minutes each, the participants received instruction on various aspects of writing and then engaged in writing texts. Depending on the assignments designated to their groups, they received feedback from the teacher, feedback from peers, or undertook self-revision of their work. Subsequently, the students revised their original work based on the feedback received, with a specific emphasis on the areas highlighted during the initial assessment. The analysis of pretest and post-test scores using t-tests and an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that the peer revision group exhibited the highest performance, while the other two groups demonstrated similar performance. These findings emphasize the educational value of different revision approaches and the superiority of peer revision in enhancing second language (L2) writing abilities.