Cued retrospective reporting supported by eye tracking measures to uncover strategies for the optimal use of peer feedback

Peer feedback (PF) is a valuable pedagogical mechanism for improving assignments, but not all students benefit equally from it. This study aimed to identify the strategies and conditions under which PF is most effectively used by students when revising an essay. Thirty second-year undergraduate medical students were asked to enhance a written essay using feedback from fictional peers. During this task, gaze locations were recorded using eye tracking, and after the revision process, Cued Retrospective Reporting (CRR) was conducted. Eye tracking did not reveal distinct gaze patterns between groups. However, CRR based on eye tracking showed that students conducting a high-quality revision used more PF elements, engaged with them critically, demonstrated strong subject knowledge, used self-feedback, and systematically proofread essays. In contrast, those conducting a low-quality revision largely ignored higher-order PF. The study underscores the persistent difficulties faced by students in using PF effectively and offers recommendations to help instructors support its optimal use.