The Effect of Written Corrective Feedback on the Acquisition of Different Types of Linguistic Features

Abstract

The current study investigated whether there exists a differential effect of direct and indirect corrective feedback (CF) on the acquisition of rule-based features (simple present) and item-based features (prepositions). Fifty students enrolled in an EFL writing class were divided into four groups. Each group received one of the following treatments: direct CF on simple present, indirect CF on simple present, direct CF on prepositions, or indirect CF on prepositions over three sessions. In this pretest/immediate posttest/delayed posttest design, students received written CF, revised writing tasks, and completed new tasks and tests. Results showed that simple present, a type of rule-based feature, responded better to indirect CF while prepositions, a type of item-based feature, responded better to direct CF. The findings suggest that teachers should consider addressing different types of linguistic features through different types of CF.