Feedback as a space for academic social practice in doctoral writing groups

Objective

While academic writing is considered a core competency in academia, academic writing anxiety is ubiquitous in doctoral student cohorts. Doctoral writing groups provide a space for participants to learn from each other’s writing through the peer feedback process. In this conceptual review, we explore the dialogic nature of the peer feedback process in doctoral writing groups.

Methods

The findings in this study are based on thematic analyses of published peer-reviewed research using standard word processing, annotation, and referencing software.

Results

We focus on how the space of security and trust that is created in doctoral writing groups encourages participants to explore writing as a social practice. Through the relationships built in this type of interactive community, doctoral writing group participants discover and explore the discourses of scholarly communication. Furthermore, doctoral writing groups foster students’ ability to navigate the often-times implicit narratives of academia, thereby building student agency.

Conclusion

We argue, therefore, that feedback in doctoral writing groups should be viewed as a space of academic social practice.

Implications

This study underscores the importance of embedding opportunities for peer-based learning into doctoral programmes not only in the fields of educational and developmental psychology, but also in other disciplines more broadly.

KEY POINTS

(1) Academic writing is an essential skill for PhD graduates.(2) Academic writing anxiety is ubiquitous in PhD student cohorts.(3) Doctoral writing groups provide spaces for PhD students to develop their academic writing.(4) Learning in doctoral writing groups occur through a dialogic peer feedback process.(5) Doctoral writing groups encourage PhD students to see writing as a social practice.(6) Doctoral writing groups foster the agency of PhD students by helping them navigate the implicit narratives of academia.