PEER REVIEW IN EFL WRITING CLASSROOMS AT RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES: CULTURAL FACTORS

The article addresses the issue of using peer review in writing within the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at the university level in Russia. Although peer review has been recognized by teachers around the world as an effective technique for improving students’ writing skills, there are very few publications on this topic in Russia.
The research aims to determine how often peer review is used in EFL writing classes at Russian universities, what attitudes teachers and students have toward peer review and whether these attitudes are influencedby inherent cultural characteristics.The data for analysis was obtained through online and offline anonymous surveys conducted in a number of Russian universities among random samples of teachers and students.
Based on the findings of these surveys, the authors conclude that peer review is not a very common practice in EFL writing classes in Russia although it is viewed mostly in a positive way by both faculty and students. The study also shows that limitations on using peer review are caused by such inherent cultural characteristics as a high degree of collectivism and high power distance. These cultural values, believed to be typical of Russians, are manifested in educational settings; yet, there is no unanimity among faculty and among students about the extent of this manifestation. Moreover, there is a considerable discrepancy between teachers’ and students’ views on whether learning should be student- or teacher-centered.