Computer-mediated Feedback Research Articles

Secondary students’ L2 writing motivation and engagement: the impact of teachers’ instructional approaches and feedback practices

Abstract Although there has been a great deal of research on L2 writing in higher education over the past few decades, limited attention has been given to secondary students’ writing motivation and engagement in L2 writing contexts. The present study aims to examine the association between writing instructional approaches and student writing motivation and engagement in the Chinese EFL context, and investigate the mediating role of writing feedback in this relationship. 2,169 students from 35 secondary schools in mainland China participated in this study. Results showed that product-oriented teaching approach related positively to the three indicators of maladaptive motivation (i.e., anxiety, failure avoidance, and uncertain control) and process-oriented teaching approach related positively to the two indicators of adaptive engagement (i.e., task management, persistence). While genre-oriented teaching approach related positively to adaptive motivation and engagement, and related negatively to maladaptive motivation and engagement, cooperative multimedia writing teaching approach related negatively to adaptive motivation and one factor of adaptive engagement (i.e., task management), and related positively to two factors of maladaptive motivation (i.e., anxiety, failure avoidance) and maladaptive engagement. This study also identified the mediating role of four feedback practices (i.e., learning-oriented feedback, expressive feedback, computer-mediated feedback, and peer and self feedback) in the associations between writing instructional approaches and student writing motivation and engagement. This study provides insights into our understanding of the complex relationship among teachers’ instruction, classroom feedback practices, and student writing motivation and engagement in L2 school contexts.

THE IMPACT OF FEEDBACK ON STUDENTS´ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE LEARNING: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

The willingness to communicate in a foreign language is a crucial aspect of language learning. This systematic literature review examines the influence of feedback, including peer-to-peer feedback, teacher´s feedback and computer-mediated feedback on student´s willingness to communicate in foreign language contexts. We included twenty selected studies conducted between 2000-2021, retrieved from the Web of Science and Scopus databases, to explore the role of feedback promoting or hindering students´ willingness to communicate. Our review suggests that factors like the fear of making mistakes and losing face can impede students’ willingness to communicate. We conclude by outlining pedagogical implications for enhancing students´ willingness to communicate in language teaching.

Continuous Performance Feedback: Investigating the Effects of Feedback Content and Feedback Sources on Performance, Motivation to Improve Performance and Task Engagement

ABSTRACT Organizations are increasingly replacing performance ratings with continuous feedback systems. The current study assesses how people react to continuous performance feedback in terms of its content and sources concerning their performance, motivation to improve, and task engagement. A task-based experiment was conducted with 36 participants who received continuous feedback. The participants were divided into two groups, receiving either quantitative or qualitative feedback content. Feedback was delivered through computer-mediated, person-mediated, or no source. The results highlight that person-mediated feedback, regardless of content, positively influenced performance, motivation, and task engagement. On the other hand, quantitative feedback only showed a positive association with performance. These findings suggest that qualitative feedback is more effective, enhancing motivation and engagement. Managers should prioritize person-mediated feedback to optimize performance, as it yields superior outcomes compared to computer-mediated feedback. However, further research is required to comprehensively understand the effectiveness of continuous performance feedback and its specific characteristics.

Investigating effects of computer-mediated feedback on L2 vocabulary learning

While computer-mediated feedback (CMF) for vocabulary learning has been a focus of considerable attention among both practitioners and researchers, synthesized research to quantitively understand its pedagogical effect is still lacking, and the accumulation of abundant experimental studies also necessitates a meta-analysis. To fill the gap, this study aims to meta-analyze the effect of CMF on second language (L2) learners’ vocabulary learning performance and which moderators may underline such effect. More specifically, drawing on the comprehensive categories of Activity Theory (AT), this paper reported meta-analysis results based on 28 valid effect sizes from 25 experimental studies published during 2000–2022. The results showed that the overall effect size was significantly large for vocabulary learning, suggesting that CMF for vocabulary learning is more effective than traditional methods. The moderating effects of a series of AT-related moderators were reported. Based on the results obtained, implications have been proposed for future studies.

Исследование влияния синхронной и асинхронной компьютерной обратной связи от одногруппников на развитие письменной речи кандидатов IELTS

The present study investigated the effect of synchronous and asynchronous computer-mediated peer feedback on IELTS candidates’ writing improvement and interactions. In so doing, 132 IELTS candidates from an English language center in six writing classes were chosen based on the convenience sampling procedure. They were split into three equal groups: two experimental groups that were instructed through synchronous peer feedback and asynchronous computer-mediated feedback and one control group. The data were collected using a sample English language proficiency test and synchronous and asynchronous media writing scoring rubric. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square test were applied for the statistical analysis of the data. It was revealed that L2 learners benefited more from the computer-mediated peer feedback than conventional paper and pencil peer feedback. Further, the participants in the asynchronous group noticeably exceeded the IELTS candidates in the synchronous group. The results also showed that the most frequent feedback in both experimental groups was directive feedback. However, there were some discrepancies in the frequency of various directive subcategories. Suggestion was the most frequent directive subcategory reported by the synchronous group and instruction feedback was the most repeated one in the asynchronous group. On the basis of the findings of the study, instructors were advised to employ asynchronous feedback whenever possible to maximize their learners’ writing accuracy.

Investigating the effect of computer-mediated feedback via an LMS integration in a large-scale Japanese speaking class.

In second or foreign language (SFL) education, oral corrective feedback (OCF) is widely used to individually correct students’ erroneous utterances during classroom hours. However, students cannot have sufficient opportunities for oral production and personalized feedback during classroom hours if a class is large-scale with many students. This paper addresses the lack of OCF opportunities in a large-scale class, assuming the causes to be the severe time constraints and the teachers’ labor intensiveness in examining students’ utterances and generating OCF. This research proposes using computer-mediated feedback (CMF) outside classroom hours to complement OCF in an online, semiautomated, and scalable fashion. This paper implements Oral Repetition Practice (ORP) Gym to provide students with sufficient opportunities for speaking practice through two types of CMFs; Hybrid Recast to enhance the recognition of errors and Explicit Error Correction to make errors detectable and correctable. Online External Assistant (OEA) is a mechanism used to increase the amount and quality of feedback by distributing the workload for scoring and generating CMF. The evaluation was conducted as a classroom observational study by introducing ORP Gym to a spoken Japanese SFL basics course with 55 students at an Indian university. Compared with the students who did not utilize ORP Gym, those who utilized ORP Gym performed more ORP and exhibited significant score improvement in the posttest. This research contributes to enabling CMF in large-scale SFL classes and empirically and statistically proving the improvement of the learning effect, including uptake and repair, by CMF using ORP Gym and an OEA.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10639-022-11262-7.

Exploring the effects of automated written corrective feedback, computer-mediated peer feedback and their combination mode on EFL learner’s writing performance

ABSTRACT With the rapid advance in educational technology, electronic feedback (e-feedback) has found its way to EFL writing process. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of three e-feedback modes, that is, automated written corrective feedback (AWCF), asynchronous computer-mediated communication (ACMC), and their combination on EFL learner’s writing performance and to examine learner’s perceptions towards these three feedback modes. A total of 122 EFL learners from a Chinese university participated in this study. They were randomly assigned to four groups, each of which received a different type of feedback (i.e. self-feedback, AWCF, ACMC, AWCF plus ACMC) in their writing process. Findings revealed that the AWCF plus ACMC group outperformed the others in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF). In addition, the results of the questionnaire and interviews indicated that higher evaluations and more positive feelings went to the AWCF plus ACMC mode. These results suggest that this combination mode may meet individual needs in revising, maximize the writing effectiveness, and help the learners to become more autonomous and motivated in the writing process. Finally, implications for English writing pedagogy in the post-pandemic era are provided.

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

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.

Computer-Mediated Feedback in Writing Skill: An Insight into the Attitudes of English Language Teachers

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has evolved into an integral part of today's classrooms as a direct result of technological advancements. One of the most remarkable outcomes of CALL is the widespread use of Computer- Mediated Feedback (CMF) in classrooms. Notwithstanding that the previous studies have offered an insight into CMF, it has been noticed that the role of teachers in its implementation has received very little attention in the literature. However, the attitudes of teachers have a key role in determining the efficacy of the materials, techniques, and processes that are integrated into instruction. In view of the aforementioned, in this mixed-method research study including 48 participants, the attitudes of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher toward CMF are examined, and the underlying factors are identified. The correlation between academic theory and practise is also analyzed. The findings of this research, which were obtained via Statistical Packages for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26.0 and NVivo, have revealed that the vast majority of teachers have favourable attitudes toward CMF. However, traditional feedback is prioritised over CMF for a variety of reasons. This suggests that the attitudes espoused by teachers are not consistent with their teaching practicum experiences.

The Efficacy of Computer-Mediated Feedback in Improving L2 Speaking: A Systematic Review

Recent trends in computer-mediated communication (CMC) have led to a proliferation of studies investigating the effect of computer-mediated feedback (CMF). The present systematic review aimed to explore the role of linguistic, contextual, and individual factors in mediating the impact of CMF on second language (L2) speaking performance. A literature search located 16 relevant empirical studies for the final analysis. Each study was coded for linguistic, contextual, and individual characteristics. First, CMF was theoretically conceptualized as an instructional input, a dialogic process, and an internal process based on theoretical underpinnings. Correspondingly, CMF was analyzed under the influence of 1) linguistic factors including feedback type, the linguistic focus of CMF, and the timing of CMF, 2) contextual factors including the feedback source and the task type, and 3) individual factors including individual differences and learners’ proficiency levels. The implication of the study was twofold. Theoretically, this study not only provided a multi-dimension view towards the effect of CMF in developing L2 oral proficiency but also shed new light on the interrelations between these identified factors. Pedagogically, teachers were encouraged to take advantage of CMC technologies to enhance the effectiveness of CMF as well as considering learners’ uniqueness. Suggestions for future research were also provided.

The effect of two feedback strategies on EFL writing quality from the perspective of syntactic complexity

This paper aims to present the results of the study investigating the efficacy of computer-mediated feedback on EFL learners' performance in writing with regard to syntactic complexity as an aspect of writing quality. The research design of the study took the form of a pre-test/post-test quasi-experiment with two comparison groups which received different treatments. The participants of the study were 65 advanced EFL learners of English for Specific Purposes who were divided into two groups. The first group (33 students) was provided with the treatment in the form of teacher-only multiple-draft feedback while the other group (32 students) was given the treatment in the form of combined peer-teacher multiple-draft feedback.The study investigated if there were any differences in syntactic complexity at a global, a clausal and a phrasal level between pre-test and post-test and what the implications of these differences for writing quality were in individual groups together with comparing the differences between the groups. Syntactic complexity was automatically measured by selected indices of L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer (Lu, 2010), a freely available natural language processing tool. The study yielded four major findings. First, the results indicate some statistically significant improvements in writing quality with regard to syntactic complexity and with respect to the proficiency level of the participants in both groups. Second, syntactic complexity developed in both groups between the pre-test and post-test, but with no significant difference in post-test performance between the comparison groups. Third, teacher-only feedback seems to be more effective at the global and phrasal level of syntactic complexity while combined peer-teacher feedback is more effective at the clausal level. Finally, teacher-only feedback contributed to more homogenous post-test writing production.

Designing an Artificial Agent for Cognitive Apprenticeship Learning of Elevator Pitch in Virtual Reality

Developing social skills like elevator pitch requires being situated within authentic activities and contexts, which is difficult to achieve on a daily basis. In this work, we explore whether an artificial agent with embodied feedback in virtual reality (VR) can foster a situated learning experience. Previous works on computer-mediated feedback have shown that VR can foster oral presentation competence for preuniversity and junior undergraduates through delivering feedback. However, it is unclear how well the learning experiences are and how well students perceive an artificial coach in VR, especially for senior undergraduates and postgraduates seeking job and research opportunities. To inform the design of such a system, we conducted interviews with experts and observed real elevator pitches. We then designed a proof-of-concept VR coaching system with three embodied feedback strategies: immediate, after-action, and the combination of both. Through a between-subject experiment with 40 participants, we studied learners’ perceptions under the embodied feedback. We found that receiving embodied feedback can create a stronger sense of cognitive apprenticeship, i.e., coaching and helping from experts, and help improve the perception of the artificial agent and the effect of learning. We further investigated the pros and cons of different strategies and discussed room for improvement.

A Comparative Study between the Conventional Feedback on EFL Academic Writing and the Computer-mediated Feedback among Saudi Teachers and Students in Universities

A Comparative Study between the Conventional Feedback on EFL Academic Writing and the Computer-mediated Feedback among Saudi Teachers and Students in Universities

Supervisor feedback as a source of work engagement? The contribution of day-to-day feedback to job resources and work engagement

Work engagement of employees is crucial in today’s working life that is increasingly characterized by virtual, flexible, and self-determined work arrangements. In such working environments, day-to-day supervisor feedback is gaining in importance, as feedback can be a powerful job resource and thus a key driver of work engagement. In flexible and agile working environments, leaders should also look into new ways of giving feedback to their followers. In this paper, we present a diary study that examines the contribution of supervisory feedback to job resources and work engagement, and thereby, differentiate between face-to-face feedback and computer-mediated feedback. The results substantiate the effectiveness of supervisor feedback on job resources, which in turn, contribute to work engagement. Furthermore, job resources moderated the influence of job demands on work engagement. This result clearly underlines the importance of job resources, as they may unleash the challenging potential of high demands.

Computer‐mediated feedback for L2 learners: Challenges versus affordances

AbstractThis paper reviews the theoretical and pedagogical affordances and challenges highlighted in studies on correcting second language (L2) learners' errors via computer‐mediated feedback (CMF) in blended and distance learning. The study aimed at understanding and conveying the reported challenges and affordances of CMF to inform the computer‐assisted language learning practitioners. To this end, 97 peer‐reviewed articles published from 2012 to 2020 that discussed CMF with respect to receptive and productive language skills were systematically reviewed. The collected data were tabularized in terms of receptive and productive skills. To visualize the results, the obtained data were arranged in four hierarchical database formats with respect to four language skills. The implications of the study are twofold. Pedagogically, teachers are informed useful affordances that can be used to give feedback during teaching. Theoretically, researchers are informed about challenges that require further investigation.

Exploring the effect of computer-mediated teacher feedback on the writing achievement of Iranian EFL learners: Does motivation count?

The use of a computer as a means and/or a source of feedback provision has facilitated the process of teaching and learning writing. The integration of computers into writing classes enabled teachers to provide timely and reliable feedback. Taking into account these opportunities that computers bring to the classroom, the present study attempted to investigate the efficacy of using computer-mediated teacher feedback and computer-generated feedback on learners’ writing skill. In addition, learners’ motivational level was explored. To do so, 60 intermediate EFL learners were selected from two intact classes and were randomly assigned to treatment groups. The results of paired samples t-test and independent samples t-test revealed a significant improvement in writing ability of the two groups from pretest to posttest. Only computer-mediated feedback significantly improved learners’ writing ability from posttest to delayed posttest. In addition, no significant difference was observed between the posttest scores of the two groups, while there was a significant difference between the delayed posttest score of the two groups. The result of interview indicated learners’ motivation in using computer-mediated feedback while there was disagreement in the other group concerning the motivation to use this approach. The study concluded that computers are a good medium for feedback provision. Furthermore, learners do not appreciate the role of computers as the source; rather, they accept it as a supplement to teacher feedback.

The value of introspective measures in aptitude-treatment interaction research

Abstract To explore the value of introspective measures in aptitude-treatment interaction (ATI) research, this study analyzed the cognitive profiles and concurrent think-alouds of six university learners of Japanese who were highly successful, moderately successful, or unsuccessful under two computer-mediated feedback conditions in a larger (N = 80) quantitative ATI investigation (Sachs, 2011). That study had made indirect inferences regarding relationships among individual differences (IDs), cognitive processes, and learning on the basis of correlational results. Using Leow’s (2015) depth-of-processing (DoP) framework as a lens, what we found in the qualitative verbalization data highlighted that learners in the same condition with similar strengths in the IDs that are statistically associated with performance at the group level may nonetheless engage in different cognitive processes and achieve different learning outcomes, and vice versa. The findings also pointed toward more complex ID-DoP and ID-ID interactions that future research could explore, such as the possibility that a weakness in memory might limit the benefits of metalinguistic knowledge and analytic processing in a condition where group-level correlations suggest analysis is relevant to success, or that analytic processing might enhance the value of memory in a condition where memory is relevant to success. In our conclusions, we argue for the value of mixed-methods research in this area.

College students’ perception of e-feedback: a grounded theory perspective

The increasing prominence of technology has given rise to new ways for writing teachers to give feedback electronically. Specifically, this article focuses on electronic written feedback (e-feedback) given to a group of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) community college students. Although previous studies have investigated the effectiveness of different computer-mediated feedback practices (e.g. video feedback, audio feedback, multimodal feedback), there is a dearth of research which examines the effectiveness of e-feedback and lower-ability students’ perception of e-feedback in ESL post-compulsory writing classrooms which adopt a process writing approach. The present study, which aims to shed light on this research gap and inform ESL writing teachers’ feedback practices, investigates how feedback is given and attended to online by 93 students of an international community college in Hong Kong. Adopting grounded theory as the methodology and a tripartite definition of written feedback as the conceptual framework, the present study reports students’ perception of e-feedback on Google Docs from two sources: students’ written reflections and semi-structured, focus group interviews. Implications related to e-feedback practices are discussed.

An integrative approach based on using annotations and computer-mediated feedback to support learners' proficiency in the English language

This study investigated the effect of using annotations and computer-mediated feedback to enhance learners' proficiency in English. The participants were 57 who were assigned randomly into two treatment conditions: in line (annotations and track changes), and marginal (annotations and comments) versus the control condition. Students in the treatment conditions had access to annotated vocabulary items while reading texts, and provided/received peer feedback about writing and grammar errors using track changes or marginal comments. Results showed that students in the treatment conditions significantly outperformed those in the control group on the post-tests on measures of the overall mean scores in reading comprehension, vocabulary learning, writing performance, and grammar accuracy. There was a higher significant effect for the in line location of the reading text than the marginal location on learners proficiency in reading comprehension and vocabulary learning using track changes than marginal comments on their writing performance and grammar accuracy.

Enhancing Educational Opportunities with Computer-Mediated Assessment Feedback

As internet technologies make their way into developing areas, so too does the possibility of education and training being delivered to the people living in those previously unserved areas. The growing catalogue of free, high quality courseware, when combined with the newly acquired means of delivery, creates the potential for millions of people in the developing world to acquire a good education. Yet a good education obviously requires more than simply delivering information; students must also receive high quality feedback on their assessments. They must be told how their performance compares with the ideal, and be shown how to close the gap between the two. However, delivering high quality feedback is labor-intensive, and therefore expensive, and has long been recognized as a problematic issue by educators. This paper outlines a case study that uses a Learning Management System (LMS) to efficiently deliver detailed feedback that is informed by the principles of best practice. We make the case that the efficiencies of this method allow for large-scale courses with thousands of enrolments that are accessible to developing and developed areas alike. We explore the question; is computer-mediated feedback delivery efficient and effective and might it be applied to large-scale courses at low-cost?