Abstract

Research in writing studies has focused on what happens as students, and often their teachers, talk about student writing. This line of inquiry has identified several strategies for productive peer interactions, including spontaneous talk (Danis; Dipardo and Freedman; Johnson, The New Frontier; Bruffee; Lam), a flexible environment (Dipardo & Freedman; Johnson, "Friendly Persuasion"), positive rapport (Rish; Thompson; Wolfe), feedback and support (Barron; Covill; Flynn; Grimm; Lam; Yucel, Bird, Young, and Blanksby; Zhu), and reflection (Yucel, Bird, Young, and Blanksby). However, research invested in understanding the extent to which such interactions result in better revisions or make students better writers has been slower to emerge. To address this gap in the existing scholarship, this thesis involved case studies of two first-year undergraduates as they navigated multiple peer review interactions throughout one semester of ENC 1101. Data collection for this inquiry included observations of three peer review sessions, retrospective interviews with each participant, and participants' end of semester e-portfolios. Using conversation analysis as a lens (Black; Ford and Thompson; Kerschbaum), this project explores the extent to which peer interactions inform students' revision of their writing. The analysis of the data suggests that the amount of interruptions and control during peer interactions influences the amount of comments a student takes up in the revision process. The results of conversation analysis identify a power structure within peer interactions that are developed and constantly changing. Those power structures also show the relationship between social interaction and revision. Teachers can use this study to motivate students to use the comments given during peer review toward revising their papers. Also, with the development of more diverse case studies, researchers would be able to identify if these phenomena show up more consistently.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2017

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Roozen, Kevin

Degree

Master of Arts (M.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Department

Writing and Rhetoric

Degree Program

English; Rhetoric and Composition

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0006613

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0006613

Language

English

Release Date

May 2018

Length of Campus-only Access

1 year

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

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