Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1 Ph.D. Student in English Language Teaching, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
2 Associate Professor of ELT, Department of English, Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
Abstract
This study investigated the role of peer-based feedback in relation to EFL learners’ Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, and their Willingness to Communicate (WTC). Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), the benefits and challenges of implementing peer-based feedback in classroom speaking tasks were explored. Participants included 55 individuals from four EFL classes, comprising 51 learners and four teachers. Data were collected through narrative framing using sentence completion tasks completed by the learners and autobiographical narratives produced by the teachers, and were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis with MAXQDA 24. Findings indicated that peer-based feedback facilitated learners’ transition from reluctance to readiness in communication, enhanced their sense of autonomy and competence, and fostered collaborative relationships, thereby promoting WTC. However, due to the tensions in feedback accuracy and peer interactions, several challenges such as anxiety, peer pressure, and reduced teacher control were also observed. Also, the findings highlight the need for balanced teacher facilitation while providing feedback and supportive classroom environment to optimize both linguistic and psychological outcomes.
Keywords
- basic psychological needs
- EFL learners
- peer-based feedback
- self-determination theory
- willingness to communicate
Main Subjects
Al Abri, A., Al Baimani, S., & Al Bahlani, S. (2021). The role of web-based peer feedback in advancing EFL essay writing. Computer-Assisted Language Learning Electronic Journal, 22(1), 362-377. https://callej.org/index.php/journal/article/view/334
Ary, D., Jacobs, L., C., Sorensen, C., K., & Walker, D. (2014). Introduction to research in education. (9th ed.). Wadsworth Publishing.
Ashraf, H., & Mahdinezhad, M. (2015). The role of peer-assessment versus self-assessment in promoting autonomy in language use: A case of EFL learners. International Journal of Language Testing, 5(2), 110-120.
Barkhuizen, G., Benson, P., & Chik, A. (2014). Narrative inquiry in language teaching and learning research. Routledge.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2020). Can I use TA? Should I use TA? Should I not use TA? Comparing reflexive thematic analysis and other pattern‐based qualitative analytic approaches. Counseling and Psychotherapy Research, 21(1), 37-47. https://doi.org/10.1002/capr.12360
Bürgermeister, A., Glogger-Frey, I., & Saalbach, H. (2021). Supporting peer feedback on learning strategies: Effects on self-efficacy and feedback quality. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 20(3), 383-404. https://doi.org/10.1177/14757257211016604
Coates, T. N. (2015). Between the world and me. Text publishing.
Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). The general causality orientations scale: Self-determination in personality. Journal of Research in Personality, 19(2), 109-134. https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-6566(85)90023-6
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Derakhshan, A., Dewaele, J. M., & Noughabi, M. A. (2022). Modeling the contribution of resilience, well-being, and L2 grit to foreign language teaching enjoyment among Iranian English language teachers. System, 109, 102890. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102890
Dewaele, J. M. (2019). The effect of classroom emotions, attitudes toward English, and teacher behavior on willingness to communicate among English foreign language learners. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 38(4), 523–535. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X19864996
Dörnyei, Z. (2006). Individual differences in second language acquisition. Association Internationale de Linguistique Appliquée, 19(1), 42-68. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.19.05dor
Ducker, N. (2021). Protecting and enhancing willingness to communicate with idiodynamic peer-peer strategy sharing. System, 103, 102634. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102634
Gregersen, T. & MacIntyre, P. (2014). Capitalizing on language learners' individuality: From premise to practice. Multilingual Matters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783091218
Huang, F., & Zhang, H. (2025). Enhancing willingness to communicate in the second language through technology: The effects of community of practice, enjoyment, and boredom in online classes. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2025.2497496
Javidkar, S., Divsar, H., Saeedi, M., & Hadavizadeh, A. (2022). A path analysis of autonomy supportive teaching, EFL learners' willingness to communicate, self-regulation, academic engagement, and perceived locus of control. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 9(4), 25-49 https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2022.16948.2032
Jelínková, J., Petrus, P., & Laue, A. (2023). The impact of feedback on students’ willingness to communicate in foreign language learning: Systematic review. Journal of Teaching English for Specific and Academic Purposes, 11(2), 663-686. https://doi.org/10.22190/JTESAP230911051J
Joe, H. K., Hiver, P., & Al-Hoorie, A. H. (2017). Classroom social climate, self-determined motivation, willingness to communicate, and achievement: A study of structural relationships in instructed second language settings. Learning and Individual Differences, 53, 133-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2016.11.005
Kang, S. J. (2005). Dynamic emergence of situational willingness to communicate in a second language. System, 33(2), 277-292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2004.10.004
Khajavy, G. H., Ghonsooly, B., Hosseini Fatemi, A., & Choi, C. W. (2016). Willingness to communicate in English: A microsystem model in the Iranian EFL classroom context. TESOL Quarterly, 50(1), 154-180. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.204
Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Sage.
MacIntyre, P. D. (2020). Expanding the theoretical base for the dynamics of willingness to communicate. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 10(1), 111-131. https://dx.doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2020.10.1.6
MacIntyre, P. D. (2007). Willingness to communicate in the second language: Understanding the decision to speak as a volitional process. The Modern Language Journal, 91(4), 564-576. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2007.00623.x
MacIntyre, P. D., & Legatto, J. J. (2011). A dynamic system approach to willingness to communicate: Developing an idiodynamic method to capture rapidly changing affect. Applied Linguistics, 32(2), 149-171. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amq037
MacIntyre, P. D., & Wang, L. (2021). Willingness to communicate in the L2 about meaningful photos: Application of the pyramid model of WTC. Language Teaching Research, 25(6), 878-898. https://doi.org/10.1177/13621688211004645
MacIntyre, P. D., Clément, R., Dörnyei, Z., & Noels, K. A. (1998). Conceptualizing willingness to communicate in a L2: A situational model of L2 confidence and affiliation. The Modern Language Journal, 82(4), 545-562. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.15404781.1998.tb05543.x
Man, D., Xu, Y., & O’Toole, J. M. (2018). Understanding autonomous peer feedback practices among postgraduate students: A case study in a Chinese university. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(4), 527-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2017.1376310
McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (1987). Willingness to communicate. In J. C. McCroskey & J. A. Daly (Eds.), Personality and interpersonal communication (pp. 129-156). Sage.
McCroskey, J. C., & Richmond, V. P. (1990). Willingness to communicate: A cognitive view. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 5(2), 19.
Meihami, H., & Husseini, F. (2022). A self-determination theory into the psychological needs of CALL: Probing EFL teachers’ autobiographical narratives. Education and Information Technologies, 27(6), 7781-7803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1063902210964-2
Mercer, S., & Dörnyei, Z. (2020). Engaging language learners in contemporary classrooms. Cambridge University Press.
Namaziandost, E., Çakmak, F., Heydarnejad, T., & Rezai, A. (2024). The predictive effects of learner autonomy and academic engagement on willingness to communicate, foreign language learning self-esteem, and L2 grit in an EFL context. Acta Psychologica, 250, 104528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104528
Niu, R., Shan, P., & You, X. (2021). Complementation of multiple sources of feedback in EFL learners’ writing. Assessing Writing, 49, 100549. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100549
Noels, K. A., Lou, N. M., Lascano, D. I. V., Chaffee, K. E., Dincer, A., Zhang, Y. S. D., & Zhang, X. (2019). Self-determination and motivated engagement in language learning. In M. Lamb, K. Csizér, A. Henry, & S. Ryan (Eds.), The Palgrave handbook of motivation for language learning (pp. 95-115). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28380-3_5
Nowell, L. S., Norris, J. M., White, D. E., & Moules, N. J. (2017). Thematic analysis: Striving to meet the trustworthiness criteria. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1), 1609406917733847. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406917733847
Papi, M., & Khajavy, G. H. (2021). Motivational mechanisms underlying second language achievement: A regulatory focus perspective. Language Learning, 71(2), 537-572. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12443
Peng, J. E. (2019). The roles of multimodal pedagogic effects and classroom environment in willingness to communicate in English. System, 82, 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.04.006
Riessman, C. K. (2008). Narrative methods for the human sciences. Sage.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0278-5846(03)00119-2
Sardabi, N., Kia, M., & Ghajarieh, A. (2023). The role of motivational strategies on young EFL learners’ basic psychological needs: A self-determination theory perspective. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 10(1), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.30479/jmrels.2022.17055.2042
Shenton, A. K. (2004). Strategies for ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative research projects. Education for Information, 22(2), 63-75. https://doi.org/10.3233/EFI-2004-22201
Shyr, W. J., Hsieh, Y. M., & Chen, C. H. (2021). The effects of peer-based instant response system to promote learning performance, intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy. Sustainability, 13(8), 4320. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084320
Tan, J. S., & Chen, W. (2022). Peer feedback to support collaborative knowledge improvement: What kind of feedback feed-forward? Computers & Education, 187, 104467. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104467
Tisdell, E. J., Merriam, S. B., & Stuckey-Peyrot, H. L. (2025). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
Tracy, S. J. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “big-tent” criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410383121
Wang, K. (2015). Problems and tactics in peer feedback in EFL writing teaching. Proceedings of the International Conference on Education, Management and Information Technology (pp. 480-483). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/icemit-15.2015.103
Yashima, T., MacIntyre, P. D., & Ikeda, M. (2018). Situated willingness to communicate in an L2: Interplay of individual characteristics and context. Language Teaching Research, 22(1), 115-137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168816657851
Zarrinabadi, N., Lou, N. M., & Shirzad, M. (2021). Autonomy support predicts language mindsets: Implications for developing communicative competence and willingness to communicate in EFL classrooms. Learning and Individual Differences, 86, 101981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2021.101981
Zhou S., Hiver P, Al-Hoorie A.H. (2021). Measuring L2 engagement: A review of issues and applications. In Hiver P., Al-Hoorie A.H., S. Mercer (Eds.), Student engagement in the language classroom (pp. 75-98). Multilingual Matters.
)