Since ancient times, humans have always tried to influence each other's behavior through interactions. According to Pierce and Epling [1], this influence occurs through the exchange of ideas, rewards, statements, promises of expected behavior, threats, and even the use of force to ensure that good behavior is achieved and maintained. Therefore, humans are careful to see that they have succeeded in influencing each other in a positive way. A person's attitude is an important factor in causing the type of effect desired.

Attitude according to Igaga [2] is a state built within a person that represents his level of liking or disliking something. Attitudes are generally positive or negative views about a person, place, thing or even a situation. Igaga [2] and Mangal [3] describe two main types of attitude. The first is a positive attitude and the second type is a negative attitude. Furthermore, attitude has three types of origins. The first type is an origin that arises from beliefs or cognitions about the issue in question. The second is an attitude that arises from emotions that are used in evaluating the issue in question. These emotions can be positive or negative. The third is an attitude that arises from the character or actions of the subject. These three origins interact and contribute to expressing the attitude that a person has.

Similarly, attitudes can be defined as decisions that are largely influenced by a person's direct experience or by what they have learned from their environment. Igaga [2] has defined attitudes as a previously acquired characteristic that influences the direction they take on various issues. He further explains that it is very difficult for a person's attitude to be known by observation alone without reference to their other  characteristics.

Attitudes can be changed through persuasion. According to psychology, this persuasion will only be successful if several factors are taken into account. One of these factors is the target of the persuasion. These are those who receive the message. According to studies conducted, intelligent and self-sufficient people are not easily persuaded. In addition, the state of mind and feelings of the target plays a large role in this persuasion system. Second, it is the source of information. If the knowledge is reliable and attractive, then it will be easy to influence the attitude of the subject. Third, it is the message itself. The nature of the message or the nature of the message contributes greatly to being able to persuade someone.

Teachers' Perspectives on Written Feedback

From the research I conducted on Writing Feedback on the correction of secondary school students' essays, the perspectives of teachers and students were addressed in detail. The results emphasized the importance of the teacher understanding his student and his level of performance in order to provide writing feedback that the student can interpret and understand well. In addition to knowing the target audience (students), the teacher as a source of guidance should strive to have appropriate, reliable and attractive skills in providing writing feedback on essay correction. A teacher who follows this advice will be in a good position to succeed in improving his students' attitudes about the writing feedback he gives them. Finally, the way the message is conveyed in giving writing feedback contributes greatly to strengthening the positive attitude of students. The teacher is advised that it is good to provide positive   writing  feedback as well as negative feedback as it has been shown to contribute to changing students' attitudes.

James acknowledges that for a long time, much theory and research has been devoted to teachers' attitudes towards providing written feedback. Explaining this argument, James argues that this situation is due to a culture that has been passed down from one generation to the next. He also explains the considerable time spent in carrying out this important role of providing written feedback.

The teacher's perspective on life in general and the different meanings he or she attaches to various words have been shown to greatly influence the selection of writing prompts he or she gives. There is a strong interaction between the teacher's perspective on what he or she has learned and the way he or she implements it in influencing the student's behavior. Based on his or her perspective, the teacher has the power to change the student's writing style [4]. This means that by using writing prompts that are based on his or her positive perspective, the teacher has a good chance of improving the student's writing in essays and the entire Kiswahili subject in general.

Robert et al. have described teachers with a tendency that they refer to as cultural. As they explain, this type of tendency is developed by teachers who like to mark essays and give them a certain percentage of marks and then write a comment that reflects their severity before returning the books to the students. For such a teacher, the only source of knowledge is him or her and the written comment he or she gives is the only communication between him or her and the student. My experience as a teacher for over twenty-five years leads me to wonder if there is a possibility that this kind of attitude can arouse feelings of fear in the student and break down the communication between him or her and the teacher.

Students' Attitudes About Written Comments

James in his study on students' attitudes towards writing feedback argues that there is a great need to address this issue which has been neglected for a long time due to the great prominence given to teachers' attitudes. White [5] suggests that students' attitudes in the past were filled with negative feelings due to the insults they received from teachers after their essays were corrected. He further explains how this situation led students to become resistant and ignore the writing feedback that some of their teachers wrote for them. This situation creates the need for a better communication environment between teachers and students so that the goal of giving and receiving writing feedback on essays can be achieved.

To understand students’ perceptions of writing feedback, James refers to three questions:

• How do students interpret writing feedback when they are writing their essays

• What types of writing feedback do students find to be motivating or demotivating

• And how do the classroom context and the interaction between students and their teachers affect how they interpret and use writing feedback

The answers to these questions will help teachers improve their provision of writing feedback when grading their students’ work. However, some students demonstrate their perceptions due to their nature and a strong desire to learn. Most students expect their teachers to challenge them. To motivate them and even strengthen them.

The success of any teaching and learning in the classroom depends on the teacher's ability to maintain the desire to learn that students have. Therefore, the level of student motivation can be strengthened or even weakened depending on the events in the classroom. However, Barbara [6] has argued that there is no one specific way to motivate students. This is to say that there are several factors that affect a student's motivation in learning and his academic performance. Some of these factors are such as; his recognition of the importance of the subject, his desire to succeed, self-confidence, self-worth and perseverance. Similarly, it is good to encourage the student to have the opportunity to motivate himself. First. The teacher should give the student early positive feedback that supports his belief that he can do well. Second, the teacher should guide the student to engage and see the value of the work he is handling. Third, the teacher should maintain a positive and open environment. Fourth, the teacher should guide the student to feel that he is valued in his learning situation.

Although Bloom [7] suggests the importance of the environment in which a student was raised and the attitude of the student's parents or guardians as a source of student motivation, Barbara [6] emphasizes that student motivation is influenced by the interest of the instructor (teacher), the importance of the content, the course structure, participation, student involvement, a good relationship between the teacher and the student, and the appropriate use of specific and understandable examples.

Teachers' Preparation and Experience in Providing Written Feedback

Many experts have clearly stated the need for teachers to be given appropriate training so that they have a proper basis for correction. Ipara and Maina [8] argue that, for the Swahili language to be strengthened, teachers and professionals with high-level skills or knowledge will be needed. Furthermore, they have emphasized the importance of Swahili teachers and scholars being given high-quality training. According to them, this is only possible when teachers who study Swahili in higher education institutions are well qualified.

Referring to the importance of written feedback in essay editing, it is doubtful whether qualified teachers are capable of dealing with this issue properly. The fact is that universities and even teacher training colleges in Kenya do not have specific courses to train teachers in providing written feedback to students. Therefore, teachers who qualify to teach Kiswahili do not have the basis for proper guidance in providing written feedback when dealing with students' essays. This situation of not including a specific course on writing feedback in universities goes against the findings of Keifer and Neufeld's study on writing feedback where their study highlighted the importance of thorough preparation for teachers who correct essays. According to them, this is the only way to eliminate the confusion that teachers experience due to the lack of a basis for reference for the composition of the words they write.

Njambili [8] has advised the importance of teachers being given appropriate guidance in dealing with their work whether in pre- or post-graduation preparation. Sifuna [9] prefers that teacher be sent to part-time courses, workshops or conferences to improve their performance. Furthermore, Vengadasamy has complained about the issue of universities and teacher training colleges not including the element of written feedback in teacher preparation [10]. He claims that even researchers have already recognized the importance of preparing teachers as an important step in teaching essay writing [11]. This preparation can have an impact on the teacher’s attitude and the way he deals with the issue of written feedback when he corrects students’ work. These opinions of various experts referred to are sufficient evidence about the weight carried by written feedback. Therefore, this is an issue that deserves attention in teacher preparation at all levels [12-13].

This article has identified that teachers’ attitudes influence the selection of written feedback they provide in the correction of students’ essays. In addition, emphasis has been placed on considering students’ attitudes towards the written feedback provided by teachers in the correction of their essays. This is because students are the main victims in the entire correction process. Students’ attitudes have been said to contribute significantly to the way they interpret and use the written feedback they receive. Furthermore, the reviewed texts have shown that the provision of feedback is very important in the correction of essays. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on thorough preparation by Kiswahili teachers regarding the activity of providing written feedback in order to obtain positive and negative effects on the composition of their essays.

1. Pierce, W. D. and Epling, W. F. “Behavior analysis and learning.” New Jersey: Simon & Schuster Company, 1995.

2. Igaga, J. M. “General educational psychology.” Kwala Educational Publishers, Eldoret, 1990.

3. Mangal, S. K. “Advanced educational psychology.” New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India Private Ltd, 2003.

4. Bennars, G. A. “Theory and practice of education in East Africa.” Nairobi: East Africa Educational Publishers Ltd, 1994.

5. White, E. “Teaching & assessing writing.” 2nd ed., Portland: Calendar Islands Publishers Ltd, 1998.

6. Barbara, G. D. “Tools for teaching.” San Francisco: Jossy-Bass Publishers, 1993.

7. Bloom, B. S. “All children learning: a premier for parents, teachers and other educators.” McGraw-Hill Company, 1981.

8. Ipara, I. O. and Maina, G. “Fani ya isimujamii kwa shule za sekondari.” Oxford University Press East Africa Ltd, 2008.

9. Njabili, A. “Public examinations: a tool for curriculum evaluation.” Dar es Salaam: Mture Publishers, 1993.

10. Sifuna, A. N. “Short essay on education in Kenya.” Nairobi: Kenya Literature Bureau, 1986.

11. “http://www.ib.umi.com/dissertation/ preview.” Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

12. “http://www.meltaorg.my/et/2002/ wp.htm.” Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.

13. “http://wac.cotostate.edu/aw/articles/kiefer_newfield_2002.htm.” Accessed 18 Mar. 2021.