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Research Proposal - Assignment #1
Research Proposal - Assignment #1
Table of Contents
Part A
Research Questions………………………………………………………………..3
Hypotheses………………………………………………………………………...4
Variables………………………………………………………………………...………...4
Part B
Part C
References………………………………………………………………………………..10
EFFECTS OF E-PEER FEEDBACK 3
Part A
Using Wikis has become immensely popular in English writing classrooms to facilitate peer
review for adult learners. A current trend is to offer students anonymous e-Peer feedback through
Wikis; our group has become especially interested in understanding and explaining this
phenomenon. However, further research needs to examine the effect of anonymous and
writing courses to determine the effectiveness of such interventions. Although plenty of research
has been conducted for ESL/EFL purposes, the generalizability for undergraduate post-
secondary students attending an introductory writing course remains limited. Thus, the purpose
of this study will be to examine and describe differences in students' performance and
engagement in writing based on anonymous vs. identifiable peer review through the use of a
Research Questions
2. Does the use of anonymity in the peer review process result in better student writing
3. Are there differences in student engagement when anonymous peer feedback is used,
compared to when identifiable peer feedback is used? If so, what is the direction and size
Hypotheses
1. H0: There will be no difference in student writing performance and engagement with the
use of anonymous feedback in the Wiki peer review process when compared to those
2. H1: There will be a difference in student writing performance with the use of anonymous
feedback in the Wiki peer review process when compared to those who received
3. H2: There will be a difference in student engagement with the use of anonymous
feedback in the Wiki peer review process when compared to those who received
Variables
The following variables are independent: anonymous feedback and identifiable feedback. The
dependent variables include student engagement and student performance. In addition, this study
1. students’ previous experience with peer feedback and their attitude towards receiving
peer feedback,
3. availability of resources (equal access to Wifi; tech support; various platforms, such as
5. teacher motivation and expertise with using Wiki as a peer feedback tool, and
Ethical Considerations:
1. Participation is voluntary.
5. A summary of the findings will be available for those who are interested.
Assumptions:
4. Students will use similar devices (because one technology might be more user-friendly
than the other; for example, a laptop has a wider screen, which is beneficial).
5. Equal Wifi availability strength, available tech support, and other EdTech resources to
the students.
6. Course content, assignments, classroom instruction, and peer review process will be the
same in both courses. One teacher will instruct both sections of the same course.
*Note: Based on these assumptions, students in the study will be given a brief introduction and
training session on how to give appropriate peer feedback and will be expected to follow the
Part B
Research, we began this project with a topic in which we were all interested: “Creative and
classroom.” As we began to do some preliminary research through Google Scholar and the
Summons website, we realized that this topic was too broad, so we made strides to narrow the
After we completed the Library tutorial, we were inspired to develop a mind map to simplify our
Developing a mind map helped us to determine specific keywords and begin a more
comprehensive search for related literature in the education field. After establishing our topic,
“The impact of assessment on student performance and engagement for ESL students enrolled in
assessment received in an ESL language arts course? If so, what is the direction and size of that
difference? After much brainstorming and deliberating over Skype and Google Docs, we realized
that the research problem was still too broad and our topic of interest had changed, so we needed
to define the topic and narrow the research question further. After doing some additional
research--this time expanding to specific databases such as Education Source--and applying the
1. Wiki(s)
6. Higher education/University/College/Postsecondary
7. Learning outcome(s)/Performance/Improvement
8. Learning process(es)/Engagement
By developing specific keywords, we were able to create the following topic: “The impact of
peer feedback on student performance and engagement using Wiki technology in an English
writing classroom.”
EFFECTS OF E-PEER FEEDBACK 8
As we did preliminary research, we focused on the historical context of our topic, research trends
related to our keywords, and how theory has informed practice (and vice versa). Once we noticed
specific patterns and trends in the research, especially in regards to anonymous and identifiable
feedback, we created a purpose statement: The purpose of this study will be to examine and
vs. identifiable peer review through the use of a Wiki in two introductory English writing courses
As we move forward in our research study, we must consider the following to inform our
literature review:
1. Find additional primary sources through the Web and Summons website and ask the
following questions: Is the research objective? Has the author identified and explained
the extent of bias? What are the limitations of the research? Is the research empirical or
2. Identify themes in the research and synthesize the material into subtopics. For example,
What are the common delivery methods (i.e., traditional, online, or blended)? How have
other teachers implemented identifiable and anonymous peer review, and what problems
did they encounter? What are appropriate sample sizes related to the population of study?
Which aspects of academic writing have researchers assessed for engagement and
performance?
3. Analyze the reliability and validity of research in the field, especially because of the
After consulting the additional research, we may find that we need to refine our research
questions and hypotheses. We feel that we have a good start with the ten references listed below,
but we understand that we may need to further refine our resource selection.
Our next steps include developing suitable assessment instruments for the study and making
decisions around the kind of research and methods of data collection we will employ. Here is a
breakdown of what we plan to accomplish after gathering the appropriate information for the
literature review:
2. Design our research study and choose the appropriate type of data collection:
4. Design training sessions as well as assessment instruments for the students and teacher.
EFFECTS OF E-PEER FEEDBACK 10
Part C
References
Cole, M. (2009). Using Wiki technology to support student engagement: Lessons from the
Cowan, B. R., & Jack, M. A. (2014). The impact of identity on anxiety during Wiki editing in
doi:10.1108/JEIM-09-2012-0057
Demirbilek, M. (2015). Social media and peer feedback: What do students really think about
using Wiki and Facebook as platforms for peer feedback? Active Learning in Higher
Lu, R., & Bol, L. (2007). A comparison of anonymous versus identifiable e-peer review on
college student writing performance and the extent of critical feedback Journal of
Lu, J., & Law, N. (2012). Online peer assessment: Effects of cognitive and affective feedback.
Miyazoe, T., & Anderson, T. (2011). Anonymity in blended learning: Who would you like to be?
Noroozi, O., Biemans, H., & Mulder, M. (2016). Relations between scripted online peer
feedback and processes and quality of written argumentative essay. Internet & Higher
Xiao, Y, & Lucking, R. (2008). The impact of two types of peer assessment on students’
performance and satisfaction within a Wiki environment. Internet and Higher Education,
Yang, S. C., & Lin, W. (2011). Exploring students’ perceptions of integrating Wiki technology
and peer feedback into English writing courses. English Teaching: Practice and Critique,
https://edlinked.soe.waikato.ac.nz/research/journal/index.php?id=1
Yang, Y-F. (2010). Students’ reflection on online self-correction and peer review to improve