Student engagement with teacher written corrective feedback in EFL writing: A case study of Chinese lower-proficiency students

Abstract

Abstract While recent research on teacher written corrective feedback (WCF) has highlighted the importance of students’ engagement with WCF for understanding its effectiveness, little research has investigated lower-proficiency (LP) students’ engagement with WCF in EFL writing classes. Underpinned by a multi-dimensional conceptual framework of student engagement with WCF, this case study has explored how 12 Chinese LP students engaged affectively, behaviourally and cognitively with teacher WCF in EFL writing. It examines data collected from multiple sources, including drafts of student essays, teacher written feedback, student immediate oral reports and semi-structured interviews. The study has found that while the participants’ affective engagement was relatively positive, their behavioural and cognitive engagement was not extensive in a sense that their behavioural engagement did not necessarily result in greater language accuracy, and there was scant awareness at the level of understanding the WCF, especially for the indirect WCF. It has also found that students’ lower English proficiency may negatively influence their cognitive and behavioural engagement with WCF and cause imbalances among the three sub-dimensions of engagement. The findings contribute to an understanding of the multifaceted and dynamic nature of EFL lower-proficiency students’ engagement with teacher WCF.