Personalized Feedback and Annotated Exemplars in the Writing Classroom: An Experimental Study In Situ

• In Event: 25.037 - Increasing Our Understanding of Classroom Assessment

Abstract

The goal of this research was to investigate the effects of two types of feedback on the written essays produced by 38 Year 9 and Year 10 (grades 8 and 9) schoolchildren in New Zealand. Using a randomized design in situ in a classroom setting, we examined gains in performance by students receiving either Annotated Exemplars that they could use to assess and improve their writing, or Personalized Feedback that gave them specific suggestions on how they might improve their work. All participants then took part in focus group discussions of the experiment. Results showed that both approaches were effective and that students preferred Personalized Feedback, but liked the Annotate Exemplars as well.

Authors

• Donna Price, University of Otago

• David A.G. Berg, University of Otago

• Jeffrey K. Smith, University of Otago