Audio versus written feedback: Multilingual students’ perspective in a U.S. composition class

Abstract

This article aims to fill the existing gap in the research which indicates that few researchers have examined multilingual writers’ preference between audio and written feedback, and the impact of feedback format on their revision process in a U.S. composition class. To explore these, eight multilingual writers were interviewed, and their first drafts and revised drafts of the final research paper on which they received both audio and written feedback were compared using the “Compare” option in Microsoft Word. In addition to these, an early semester participatory survey and a reflection survey were conducted among the multilingual writers of a composition course. Results indicated that those who were confident about their English listening proficiency preferred audio feedback over written feedback. Results also indicated that multilingual writers expected directive explicit feedback from their instructors. Their perceptions regarding the effectiveness of audio and written feedback on their revision process varied depending on their own self-efficacy. Finally, the author recommends further investigating the potential of audio feedback in creating student-teacher connections, particularly in online composition courses.