Anonymous yet accountable: Investigating sociocultural dynamics in peer feedback among Vietnamese EFL students

Academic writing is a core component of English language programs, and peer feedback has emerged as a pedagogical strategy to enhance students' writing proficiency and engagement. This study investigates the attitudes of English major students toward peer feedback in academic writing classes, using Sociocultural Theory as the analytical framework. Employing an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study first surveyed 142 students to quantify general trends in attitudes, followed by semi-structured interviews with 12 participants to explore the sociocultural dimensions underpinning those attitudes. Findings indicate that while students generally perceive peer feedback as beneficial for their academic development, their engagement is notably shaped by sociocultural factors including face-saving norms, perceived proficiency hierarchies, and interpersonal relationship dynamics. Significantly, students strongly preferred anonymity in peer feedback to mitigate emotional discomfort and enhance objectivity. The study concludes that incorporating anonymous feedback mechanisms in peer review activities substantially addresses sociocultural constraints and improves student engagement, thus representing a key strategy for effective writing instruction in EFL contexts. These insights underscore the importance of culturally responsive pedagogical practices and provide clear implications for instructional design in writing pedagogy.