The Revision Effects of Varying Degrees of Written Corrective Feedback Explicitness on L2 Learners’ Writings

Abstract

This study investigated the efficacy of varying degrees of written corrective feedback (WCF) explicitness on the accuracy of revised drafts and new pieces of writing among learners of different proficiency levels. A total of 130 learners of English were divided into three proficiency groups (basic, independent, and proficient users), with learners at each proficiency level receiving four types of WCF that differed in their degree of explicitness: direct corrective feedback plus metalinguistic explanation (DCF + ME), direct corrective feedback only (DCF), indirect corrective feedback plus metalinguistic explanation (ICF + ME), and indirect corrective feedback only (ICF). Learners completed a text reconstruction task as their first draft, revised their writing according to one of the four types of WCF, and completed another text reconstruction task after 2 weeks. While the accuracy scores differed across different test times for learners at all proficiency levels, split-plot ANOVAs with post hoc comparisons showed that differential effects of varying degrees of WCF explicitness on the accuracy of learners’ revised and/or subsequent writings were found only for the proficient group where the DCF + ME group significantly outperformed the ICF group on revised drafts and both the ICF and ICF + ME groups on new pieces of writing.