Peer reviews in the ESL composition classroom: what do the students think?

Peer reviews, where students read drafts of their fellow students' essays in order to make suggestions for revision, are common in first-language composition pedagogy. This technique fosters the idea that writing is a process of communicating to an authentic audience. How beneficial are peer reviews for ESL composition students? This article explores the question from the perspectives of forty advanced ESL writing students who were asked about their experiences with peer reviews. Many of the students reported that peer reviews had helped them revise the content of their drafts. However, some students commented that their peers were not able to give useful advice. These students' responses suggest that peer reviews can be helpful to students during the drafting process, but that the task must be carefully structured in order for the students to become successful critics. Suggestions for organizing effective peer review sessions are given.