Japanese L2 learners’ translanguaging practice in written peer feedback

ABSTRACT

Although peer review is widely adopted in tertiary L2 writing classes, students’ use of different languages – or translanguaging – in written peer feedback remains underresearched. Three studies that have explored the issue – Yu and Lee (2014), Yu (2016), and Yeh (2018) – were all conducted on Chinese-speaking participants, suggesting the need for studies in different contexts for a broader generalisability of the findings. To bridge the research gap, this study examined feedback comments produced by 24 Japanese college students. In addition to comparing feedback profiles according to language use, stimulated recall interviews were conducted to determine the factors underlying Japanese L2 learners’ translanguaging practices. The findings suggest that most Japanese L2 learners make language choices based on context as a result of the interaction between inter- and intrapersonal factors such as the (relative) L2 proficiency of the peer reviewer and the affective need to mitigate negative feedback. This study adds to the rather sparse literature on L2 learners’ language choices in written peer feedback and factors contributing to such decisions.

KEYWORDS:

• Peer review
• written peer feedback
• translanguaging
• language choice
• L2 writing
• Japanese L2 learners

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (18K00854) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

Notes on contributors

Sugene Kim

Sugene Kim is an associate professor in the Department of English Studies at Nagoya University of Commerce & Business in Japan. Her research focuses on academic writing, pedagogical grammar, and second language (L2) and multilingual education. She is particularly interested in examining the cognitive and linguistic strategies utilised by adult L2 learners to address writing difficulties in different rhetorical contexts. She has published research articles in international journals – such as Journal of English for Academic Purposes, ELT Journal, English Today, and International Journal of Lexicography – mostly concerning academic literacy development and L2 writing pedagogy.

Chih-Hao Chang

Chih-Hao Chang is a lecturer in the Faculty of International Studies at Nagoya University of Commerce & Business in Japan. He has recently completed his doctoral programme in the Graduate School of International Development at Nagoya University. His main research centres on sociolinguistics and L2 writing pedagogy, and he has related interests in educational policy studies and comparative education. His publication entitled ‘Effects of Private Tutoring on English Performance: Evidence from Senior High Students in Taiwan’ appeared in International Journal of Educational Development.