The impact of iterative writing and feedback on the characteristics of tertiary students' written texts

Abstract

A major challenge that universities and lecturers face is improving the written output of their students. While many resources are invested in improving tertiary students' writing, lecturing staff and the broader community lament students' abilities. This article reports on a study investigating the characteristics of students' written texts and how they change when students are provided with feedback and an opportunity to rewrite. It reports on changes in both the content of the text (e.g. ideas and analysis) and its form (e.g. the structure of the text) in relation to the demands of the context, and relates the types of feedback provided to the changes observed. It shows that prescriptive text-specific feedback that addresses the intergration of content, form, and context is effective in producing positive change in student texts. These findings have implications for universities, disciplinary lecturers, and writing instructors who are interested in improving students' written abilities.