Impact of a research-informed intervention on L2 teachers’ WCF cognitions and practices: A sociocultural perspective

Abstract

Written corrective feedback (WCF) has continually comprised a vibrant line of inquiry in instructed second language acquisition. This body of research has however fallen short of pervading L2 teachers' pedagogical perceptions and practices. Against this background, the study reported here was an attempt to explore whether and how a WCF research-informed intervention delivered during an academic semester could modify L2 writing teachers' ingrained WCF-related cognitions and practices in both short and long terms. Informed by the sociocultural theory, this longitudinal multiple-case study entailed four L2 teachers' exposure to selective WCF articles while using reaction report forms and reflective discussions as primary mediational tools. Analyzing the data gleaned through reaction report forms, three rounds of interviews, and participants' WCF provision on sample essays supported the immediate and long-term efficacy of the intervention in genetic transformation of and reduced chasm between teachers’ cognitions and practices regarding WCF scope and type. The article concludes by proposing a four-level ecological systems model – comprising pre-scaffolded knowledge, obuchenie, prezhivanie, and regulated practice – to capture the multifaceted, individualistic, and situated nature of the intervention mechanism. Implications of the proposed model are also discussed.