Which Engages Students More in English Writing: Teacher+Peer Feedback or Teacher-Only Feedback? -A Study in Chinese Tertiary Education

This study investigates the impact of “teacher+peer” mixed feedback on undergraduate English writing engagement, aligning with the emphasis on comprehensive feedback in English Language Teaching and student-centered learning principles outlined by the College English Curriculum Guide (2020) in China to answer two main research questions: how does the “teacher+peer” mixed feedback pattern influence engagement in English writing among Chinese tertiary students behaviorally, cognitively, and emotionally and does mixed feedback yield significantly higher engagement than teacher-only feedback? Conducted a 12-week semester with 85 first-year undergraduates, the study compared an experimental group receiving “teacher+peer” feedback with a control group receiving“teacher-only” feedback, utilizing data from pre- and post-intervention questionnaires and post-intervention focus group discussion. Findings reveal that the mixed feedback approach significantly enhances learning engagement across all dimensions—emotional, cognitive, and behavioral—outperforming “teacher-only” feedback. A substantial post-intervention mean increase is observed in the experimental group, in contrast to minimal changes in the control group. It expanded the existing literature on writing feedback, engagement theory, and peer involvement in the ELT domain through empirical data from the Chinese context. Additionally, the pedagogical implications include rotating mixed-ability groups, overcoming cultural hesitancy among reserved Chinese students, and accommodating variations in English proficiency, facilitating the conduction of the research-informed “teacher+peer” writing feedback in similar contexts outside China.