Students’ Perceptions of Written Teacher Comments: What Do They Say About How We Respond to Them?

The scene A large, suburban, public high school. Two students walk out of their Honors English class together talking about a paper that had just been returned to them. Tim, looking puzzled, speaks first. Tim: Angie, how did you do on your essay? Angie. "I did pretty well; I got a B+, how 'bout you?" Tim: "Well, she gave me a C, but I don't understand why. I don't get some of these comments she gave me. I mean, how am I supposed to know what to fix when all she writes is awkward or underlines a sentence without explaining what's wrong with it? Angie: "I don't know. I noticed I have a few comments like those too. She wrote `fix this' with an arrow pointing to a line I wrote, but I've got no clue what to make of it. I know I did well on the paper, but I want to know how I can improve for the next one, you know?" Tim: "Yeah. What's weird is that even some of the comments that are positive, at least I guess they are, I'm not sure what exactly was good about my writing. See (he shows her a comment `good job!' next to a paragraph, with no explanation of what was good). I know she likes my paragraph here, but I don't know what about it was good." We teachers believe the written responses we put on our students' papers are as clear, concise, and focused as they can be. Most of us assume that students understand what we write on their papers, and if the students choose to use them for future writing, then the comments will assist with successive drafts. However, how many of us have asked our students what they think about the ways that we respond to their writing? Or how many of us have even thought about the role that our comments play in our students' writing? Scenarios like Tim and Angie's above are not uncommon. Students do understand the majority of the comments we write on their papers, but often they have a difficult time seeing the responses' importance for revision. Too often, because of our assumption that students understand all that we write on their papers, we don't stop to explain or elaborate certain responses that they believe to be vague or ambiguous. For us, then, it is crucial that our students understand clearly our commenting styles and the types of comments that we typically employ when marking papers. By beginning to come to an understanding about how we respond to our students' texts, they will not be put in situations similar to Tim and Angie's. This article will examine high school students' perceptions of the written teacher comments they received on one set of classroom papers. The first section of the article will look at what existing research tells us about responding to students' writing. What is the research telling us? What comments do writers prefer to see on their papers? What comments do writers prefer not to see on their writing? Many researchers and writers have attempted to answer these two questions. Atwell (1987) explains that she believes, based on her own experiences as a teacher and writer, writers want "response that is courteous and gentle, that gives help without threatening the writer's dignity ... A writer wants response that takes the writer seriously and moves him or her forward"(p.66). Clearly, Atwell understands the effect written comments can have on students; we must never take students' writing lightly or fail to consider their feelings when commenting. Straub's (1997) research supports this assertion. He found that students "were least receptive to comments that they saw as more critical than helpful"(p. 110). Further, the study found that comments written as questions were not as helpful when they "were framed in harsh or critical ways or that implied some criticism of their (the students') writing"(p. 111). Responding to students' writing is difficult because part of our role in looking at their work is to make some judgments or criticisms about it. Straub's study points out the importance of our tone and attitude when responding to students' writing. …