Encoding Power Asymmetries in Teacher-Written Feedback: A 3-Dimensional Framework (TFPMM) for Measuring Discursive Authority | ||||
CDELT Occasional Papers in the Development of English Education | ||||
Article 8, Volume 90, Issue 1, April 2025, Page 173-202 PDF (1.31 MB) | ||||
Document Type: Original Article | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/opde.2025.445063 | ||||
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Authors | ||||
Nancy Mohamed Afifi1; Shaker Rizk2; Inas Hussein Hassan3; Riham Debian4 | ||||
1Adjunct Faculty, Department of Rhetoric and Composition, The American University in Cairo | ||||
2Professor of Linguistics, Faculty of Arts, Suez University | ||||
3Professor of Applied Linguistics & Vice Dean for Graduate Studies and Scientific Research College of Language and Communication (Alexandria), Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport) | ||||
4Professor of Cultural and Translation Studies, Alexandria University & Program Director of Translation and Simultaneous Interpreting, Faculty of Alsun and Applied Languages, KSIU | ||||
Abstract | ||||
This study introduces the Teacher Feedback Power Measurement Model (TFPMM), a novel framework for systematically evaluating discursive authority in teacher-written feedback. By integrating Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG), Speech Act Theory (SAT), and Move Analysis, TFPMM offers a multi-dimensional lens to examine how modality, speech act types, and rhetorical structuring encode power in academic discourse. A mixed-methods analysis of 75 feedback samples from 15 academic writing instructors revealed a dominant use of high-modality expressions, directive speech acts, and prescriptive moves, producing an average power score of 74.48%, indicative of high discursive authority. Although praise and probing were rare, they still functioned as subtle forms of control. Among the three dimensions, modality contributed most to overall power, followed by rhetorical moves and speech acts. TFPMM emerges as a replicable tool for analyzing feedback and auditing its power dynamics. The study offers pedagogical insights to support more reflective, dialogic, and student-centered feedback practices across diverse educational contexts. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Teacher-written feedback; discursive power; evaluative discourse; academic writing | ||||
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