Learning together through collaborative writing: The power of peer feedback and discussion in doctoral writing groups

This paper explores the power of collaborative peer feedback within doctoral writing groups by examining the effects of the feedback process that was implemented as part of a book project. Using communities of practice as a guiding theoretical framework, we identify that participants discovered how working together helped them foster collegiality, trust, and collective learning. Furthermore, writing group members felt that collaborative peer feedback helped them develop a shared repertoire and understanding of academic writing and publishing. Participants perceived collaborative peer feedback as a way to improve academic writing proficiency, build self-esteem, and foster confidence. Importantly, participants saw the experiential learning process applied in this book project as a way to discover previously tacit understandings or obscure practices in academia. Consequently, the findings of this study demonstrate that collaborative peer feedback within a safe space can foster learning-focused feedback when students are active and reflexive agents in the feedback process.