How to Train Graduate Students to be Effective Peer Reviewers

Abstract

Training students to be good peer reviewers has been long investigated, and researchers found it beneficial to employ this activity in the writing classrooms. However, very few researchers conducted studies to train the graduate students to be effective peer reviewers. The purpose of this study is to fill in this gap in the literature. Ninety-five students enrolled in the two graduate classes of Academic Writing for Graduate Students participated in this study. In the quasi-experimental study, the lecturer/researcher gave the graduate students total of 9 writing assignments. After each writing assignment each week, the lecturer/researcher selected the five earliest submissions to provide e-comments on Microsoft Word. Then, he presented to the whole classes as a model of e-comments to train the grad students how to be effective e-peer reviewers. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected for data analysis to respond to the four research questions, including the students' writing assignments, the instructors' and peer e-comments, the questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. The findings of the study illustrate the effectiveness of the lecturer's model e-comments to help the grad students improve their commentary skills and also help the writing lecturers learn a new approach to train the MA students to improve their writing qualities.