In recent years student-centred peer response has become such a widely used teaching method in English writing instruction that numerous articles have been produced to discuss the advantages and strategies of this approach. But is this method effective in our teaching context? What do our students think of it? This study investigated perceptions of helpfulness of peer response among 22 advanced English major students. Data collected over one semester through observations, interviews and questionnaires revealed that participants have very negative reactions to peer response, which challenges some beliefs about the affective and pedagogical advantages of peer response. The author's findings further suggest that training students to do peer response is essential in English writing instruction.
