Peer feedback in second-language writing: A critical review of recent research (2015–2024)

Peer feedback has been widely recognized for its potential to foster writing development, critical thinking, and learner autonomy in second-language (L2) writing contexts. Over the past decade, emerging theoretical perspectives, such as the student-centered feedback model, translanguaging, digital literacies, and feedback literacy, have reshaped understandings of peer feedback, expanding its conceptual landscape and offering new lenses to explore its complexities and implications in diverse L2 writing contexts. Building upon the review by Yu and Lee (2016), this paper provides a critical review of existing research on peer feedback in L2 writing from 2015 to 2024. Through critical analyses of the selected studies ( n = 44), the review identifies seven major themes in this area: (1) the impact of peer feedback on student writers; (2) student engagement with peer feedback; (3) peer feedback and student feedback literacy; (4) emotions and peer feedback; (5) translanguaging and peer feedback; (6) learning from giving peer feedback; and (7) technology, AI tools, and peer feedback. Moreover, the paper reviews the research methodologies adopted in recent relevant studies, noting an increased adoption of mixed-methods designs that combine quantitative and qualitative data to capture the multifaceted nature of peer feedback interactions and their contextual, cognitive, and affective dimensions. By synthesizing relevant studies and theoretical frameworks, this review not only offers practical implications for L2 writing teachers to implement peer feedback but also provides researchers with timely insights for conducting more comprehensive, theory-driven investigations into the evolving dynamics of peer feedback in L2 writing.