The Construction Of A Double Helix Model Of Competence-Oriented Peer Response In English Writing

As to the problems of peers’distrust (Murphy,1993; Tsui&Maria,2000) and poor quality (Nelson and Carson,1998) in English writing peer response, the study firstly constructs a double helix model of competence-oriented peer response based on Constructivism, Zone of Proximal Development and Process Approaches to Writing. Students, the main response subjects, are the two sides of the double helix; interactions, among different roles (S-S and T-S) in varied spatial-temporal dimensions (in and after class) in diverse forms (written and oral), promote the peer activities, responding competence and writing competence in an ascending spiral way.To verify the effect of the model, then the study makes a16-week experiment on70English majors from one university in Zhejiang province, whose first, third and fifth essays (two versions of each,420essays in total) form the data. By means of essay tracing, pre-and post tests, and questionnaire, we arrive at the conclusions:(1) The model promotes the students’trust in peer responding, for the application rate of correct peer response increases from61.96%to66.73%and then to75.55%; and92.9%of students feel an improved trusting.(2) This model improves the students’responding competence, both for the increased responding accuracy of two versions of the three essays (56.71%,61.24%,74.56%,78.33%,85.08%,89.97%) and for the expansion of the peer response content (the aspects concerning organization, idea and cohesion account for15.23%,17.21%,23.35%,26.67%,30.07%,33.33%of all responses).(3) This model benefits the students’writing competence, for the increased mean score in the post test and high self-efficacy of writing improvement.