The Effect of Computer-Mediated Feedback on L2 Accuracy. Does the Difference in Learners’ Perceptual Style Moderate the Effectiveness of the Feedback?

Abstract

Computer-mediated feedback (CMF) has recently gained attention in L2 (second language) classes because it offers numerous advantages, such as flexibility and timesaving. However, not much is known about how it affects the accuracy of L2 learners and how the mediating variables, such as learners’ preferred perceptual style, influences the efficacy of CMF. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine how two types of CMF (audio-based and text-based) affect the accuracy of L2 learners on the past perfect tense and whether aligning CMF types with the learners’ preferred perceptual style (auditory/read/write) mediates its efficacy. One hundred and twenty first semester students with English as a second language (ESL), with a mean age of 20 were recruited for the current study. These students were divided into two treatment groups (audio-based and text-based) and a control group based on their preferred perceptual style (auditory/read/write). The learners in the treatment groups were given three treatment sessions, one each week, where they received CMF either in the audio-based form or text-based form on their narrative writing texts. Subsequently, the effectiveness of the CMF was tested employing two testing instruments: writing task and oral production task. The writing task was a narrative text reconstruction that required the participants to use past perfect tense. Similarly, the oral production task was a dialogue activity that required the use of past perfect tense. The results indicated that both CMF types improved the accuracy of the past perfect tense, with the audio-based CMF found to be more effective. The study also demonstrated that CMF was more effective when aligned with the learners’ preferred perceptual style.