Understanding the critical thinking experiences of L2 student writers engaged in linguistically supported peer feedback giving

Research has examined second-language (L2) student writers’ peer feedback giving (PFG) and the impact that PFG has on students’ critical thinking, namely their critical engagement with writing content. However, the use of PFG to support students’ critical thinking has often been limited by approaches that treat critical thinking as a purely cognitive process, making critical thinking inaccessible as a practice for students. To address this gap, this qualitative study, conducted in a writing course at a Chinese university, explores L2 student writers’ critical thinking processes during PFG, which was supported by systemic functional linguistics (SFL). The study aims to show whether and how SFL-supported PFG could provide a linguistically accessible gateway through which student writers can practice critical thinking in the context of L2 writing. This exploration is justified by existing research on the potential of PFG in supporting student writers’ critical thinking and research on SFL in transparently highlighting language resources (lexicon and grammar) in constructing and deconstructing the content of discourse. Data sources included interviews with students, a written record of the students’ PFG, and their written reflections on PFG. Qualitative analyses reveal that with the support of SFL knowledge, student evaluators gradually developed the ability to understand language resources as an accessible gateway to unpacking the meaning making of writing content. The knowledge enabled them to practice critical thinking by analyzing and evaluating the subtleties of meaning making in their peers’ writing during feedback sessions, and connecting gains from PFG to their own writing. However, it was noted that practicing critical thinking in this process was sensitive to student-internal and student-external factors in the process of PFG (e.g., insufficient knowledge of SFL, teacher support). This study concluded that overall, engaging in SFL supported by PFG provided student evaluators with an accessible channel for practicing and developing critical thinking in the context of L2 writing.