Different Types Of Corrective Feedback Research Articles

The Effects of Form-Focused Communicative Grammar Instruction on Students’ Pronunciation and Grammar in Speaking

Integrating form-focused instruction (FFI) in the communicative language class is the most recently used language teaching and learning approach today. To draw learners’ attention to grammatical form, FFI implements different types of corrective feedback and implicit and explicit grammar teaching techniques. This study investigated the effects of FFI combined to communicative grammar instruction on students’ pronunciation and grammar in speaking. The main objective of this study was to probe whether the form-focused instruction integrated with communicative grammar activities was effective in terms of students’ performance of pronunciation and grammar in speaking. The study employed a quasi-experimental study design with a mixed method approach. It also employed pre and post-tests, questionnaire, and interview in order to gather data. The data collected by the tests and questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively using independent and paired sample t-test where as the interview data was analyzed thematically. The results of the study revealed that the experimental group of students who had been taught spoken English having form-focused communicative grammar instruction showed the enhancement on pronunciation and grammar in speaking in their post-test scores. This directed to the conclusion that the form-focused communicative grammar instruction assisted the students advance their pronunciation and grammar in speaking. Thus, it is recommended that high school EFL teachers should implement communicative grammar activities integrated to form-focused instruction while teaching speaking skills.

The relationships between individual differences in working memory and language analytical ability and the effectiveness of different types of corrective feedback

Abstract This study examined the relationships between individual differences in the executive component of working memory, and language analytical ability and the effectiveness of recasts, explicit correction and, metalinguistic prompts on the second-language (L2) development of the English past progressive. Participants were 155 Japanese learners of English, who were divided into recast, explicit correction, metalinguistic prompt, and task-only groups. The treatment groups completed tasks that required past progressive usage and received feedback. The executive component of working memory and language analytical ability were measured by the reading span test and LLAMA F. The outcome measures were an untimed grammaticality judgment test (UGJT) and elicited imitation test (EIT), which measured the participants’ declarative and procedural knowledge, respectively. The participants performed the pretest, immediate posttest, and delayed posttest. Multiple regression analyses showed that the executive component of working memory was significantly associated with the gain scores of the UGJT for the recast group and with the gain scores of the EIT for the metalinguistic prompt group. Language analytical ability was not associated with gain scores regardless of the test type for all groups.

The Effect of Language Aptitude on Recast-Driven L2 Morphosyntax Acquisition: An Overview

The purpose of this paper is to review several studies on the effects of language aptitude on the recast-driven acquisition of L2 morphosyntax. Recasts are one of the most commonly used forms of corrective feedback in second language (L2) classrooms. It is clear from research that there are a variety of internal and external factors that affect the ability of L2 learners to benefit from recasting. Among those internal factors, working memory and language analytic ability, as two critical components of language aptitude, have gained increasing attention in recast studies. Given L2 learners’ variability in their ability to notice the gap and extrapolate grammatical rules, working memory and language analytic ability may be responsible for learners’ ability to attend to the recasts provided. By reviewing and synthesizing relevant research, the current literature review demonstrates that despite the inconsistent results and the need for further verification, working memory and language analytic ability, in general, tend to mediate recasts-driven L2 morphosyntax acquisition. Also, L2 learners have demonstrated a disposition to draw upon different components of language aptitude at different second language developmental stages and response to different types of corrective feedback.

Analysis and Evaluation of the Effectiveness of a Teacher’s Feedback in Classroom Interaction

The impact of teacher feedback on learner uptake in second language learning classrooms has received much attention from researchers over the last decade. The I-R-F exchange structure reflects the interactive process in the classroom, with the F-move focusing on the ways in which the teacher gives feedback to students’ responses, which are both positive and negative (Ellis, 2009). Corrective feedback (CF) is frequently used in the classroom as a form of negative feedback in language teaching, yet its effectiveness is disputed in second language acquisition (SLA) research (Ellis, 2009; Lyster et al., 2012). Through a video observation of a classroom with A2 proficiency learners in English, the teacher used a combination of positive feedback and different types of corrective feedback, with the majority of students self-correcting following the teacher’s feedback, but there were some students whose uptake was unsuccessful. This means that teacher feedback contributes to a certain extent to learners’ language acquisition.

Effects of Recasts, Explicit Correction and Metalinguistic Prompts on L2 Knowledge of the English Past Tense

This study examined the effects of three different types of corrective feedback (CF) on the acquisition of declarative/procedural knowledge of the English past tense in a foreign language (FL) classroom setting. The participants comprised Japanese university students, and five classes were assigned to recasts, explicit correction, metalinguistic prompt, task-only, and test control groups. The first three groups performed tasks designed to elicit past-tense forms and received CF. The task-only group performed the tasks without any CF, while the test control group completed pretests and posttests only. Participants’ declarative and procedural knowledge of the past tense was measured at the pretest, immediate posttest, and delayed posttest. The results generally showed that recasts and explicit correction were effective for the development of declarative knowledge of the structures, while metalinguistic prompts were beneficial for the development of procedural knowledge. Thus, metalinguistic prompts would be one of the best types of feedback to provide in an FL classroom setting to help learners develop procedural knowledge of past-tense forms. However, to effectively develop their declarative knowledge of past-tense forms, recasts and explicit correction should also be provided.

Motivational factors underlying learner preferences for corrective feedback: Language mindsets and achievement goals

The present study examines how learners’ language mindsets (beliefs about the malleability of language intelligence) and achievement goals predict learners’ preferences for different types of corrective feedback (CF). Questionnaire data were collected from 537 learners of Spanish as a foreign language at two North-American universities. Factor analytic and multiple regression results showed two clear patterns. A growth language mindset (the belief that language learning ability is malleable) predicted preferences for all types of CF whereas a fixed language mindset predicted a preference for conversational recast and absence of CF. A development-approach goal (concerned with improving one’s language competence) positively predicted learners’ preference for the explicit types of CF whereas a development-avoidance goal (concerned with maintaining one’s second language competence) positively predicted the more implicit types of CF. Demonstration-approach (concerned with displaying superior competence) did not predict any CF type and demonstration-avoidance (concerned with avoiding the display of incompetence) predicted a preference for absence of CF. Using an overarching cost–value model, we discuss how learners’ analysis of the self-presentation and ego costs as well as the value of different CF types have led to their preference for one versus another. Future directions and pedagogical implications are discussed.

How Might Cognitive Factors Affect Iranian EFL Learners’ Response to Feedback Provided on Writing? An Individual Differences Perspective

The researchers exploring the effectiveness of feedback have normally contrasted groups of learners receiving different types of feedback treatments. However, since there are always individual responses to any pedagogical treatment within a group of students and the effects of feedback can vary significantly even in participants receiving the same kind of feedback in the same experiment, the present study used a qualitative case study approach and techniques such as narrative construction and qualitative comparative analysis to see how the individuals with different cognitive characteristics (namely, language learning aptitude and working memory) respond to various types of feedback (namely, direct feedback, indirect feedback with error codes and metalinguistic feedback with explanations) provided on linguistic aspects of their writings and how these characteristics might impact their learning from the feedback. The comparison of the students’ responses to the feedback provided indicated that different individuals respond to and benefit from the learning potentials of different types of corrective feedback in different and their own unique ways. In fact, the learners having higher levels of aptitude and working memory were better able to resolve their problems and improve their writing as a result of the feedback received. On the whole, the findings of the present study confirm the important role of considering learners’ individual characteristics in any pedagogical intervention.

Recasts, prompts and noticing: A comparative study

Noticing has been regarded as an important theoretical construct in the mechanism of how corrective feedback (CF) facilitates second language acquisition. However, to date, only a paucity of CF research has examined noticing triggered by different types of CF (i.e., recasts vs. prompts). The study is intended to fill in the gap by examining the relationships between type of CF and level of noticing. To that end, 105 Malaysian ESL learners were asked to perform four communicative tasks during which recasts and prompts were provided contingent upon the encounter of past tense errors. To assess noticing, the study has employed a triangulated method using multiple elicitation procedures including diary writing, stimulated recall, and exit questionnaire. The results of the study revealed that both recasts and prompts were able to induce noticing the corrective intent, noticing the target of CF or form, noticing the gap, and noticing the rule. However, contrary to what was expected, recasts were able to promote higher levels of noticing across all noticing categories. Moreover, the greatest difference between recasts and prompts was found in noticing the gap. The study suggests that CF that provides exemplars of the target linguistic feature may promote higher levels of noticing the gap which may, in turn, increase the effectiveness of CF in L2 acquisition.

Postgraduate instructors’ formative feedback on EFL students’ assignments in email communication: A gender-based study

The present study seeks to delve into the intricacies of feedback strategies adopted by male and female Jordanian EFL postgraduate university instructors when responding to their students’ assignment submissions and inquiries via asynchronous communication mode, namely email communication, to see if there are any significant differences in their use of these strategies due to the gender of the instructors (male vs. female). A corpus of 180 emails was put under investigation (90 sent by male teachers and 90 sent by female instructors). These were analyzed quantitatively using a t-test to capture if there are significant differences in the use of formative feedback strategies between male and female Jordanian EFL instructors. The analysis was couched within a set of frameworks which all provided different types of corrective feedback, namely, Schute (2008) and Narciss and Huth (2004). Subsequently, a qualitative analysis followed in order to show how and why teachers implement a given formative feedback strategy. The findings indicate that female instructors employed more formative feedback strategies in comparison with their male counterparts. The most frequently used strategy among female teachers was direct feedback, the provision of cues and information tutoring, while male teachers made more use of questioning and in a number of emails, they provided no feedback. In light of the findings of the present study, some pedagogical implications might come to the fore.

WRITTEN CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON EFL STUDENTS AT AN ISLAMIC JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Teachers provide students with corrective feedback for guiding them in the process of teaching a language. This study aimed to investigate the types of corrective feedback that the teacher used in teaching writing recount text, this also employed to reveal the students' motivation for writing recount texts, and to explore the benefit of teacher corrective feedback to the students' ability in writing recount text at Manbaul Huda Islamic Junior High School Central Java Indonesia. Descriptive qualitative method was employed by interviewing both the teacher and the second-year students. The participants were three teachers and twenty students. There were three guided Interview questions for teachers and two questions for students. The findings of this study turned out that the teacher employed indirect corrective feedback and gave symbols to the student’s error production. Most of the students are highly motivated to be able to write a status on Facebook or other online media by using English. The most important advantage of obtaining corrective feedback for the students is to understand the use of grammar in making a sentence. This study concluded that the motivation of the students to write recount text was to get teacher corrective feedback to be able to write the appropriate sentence and to increase their ability in writing English. This also implied that different types of corrective feedback might impact differently to the students in improving their motivation to learn English more.

MATCHES AND MISMATCHES BETWEEN EFL TEACHERS’ AND STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES FOR CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK IN ENGLISH SPEAKING CLASSES AT A VIETNAMESE UNIVERSITY

This study aimed at examining matches or mismatches between teachers’ and students’ preferences regarding different types of corrective feedback in EFL (English as a foreign language) speaking classrooms at a Vietnamese university. Observation and two parallel questionnaires adapted from Katayama (2007) and Smith (2010) were used to gather data from five EFL teachers and 138 English-majored students. Multiple findings pertaining to each research question were revealed. Overall, results indicated that while there were some areas of agreement between teachers and students, important mismatches in their opinions did occur.

Effects of flipped teaching method integrated with corrective feedback on EFL learners' grammar learning and retention

This study investigates the effects of the flipped teaching method (FTM) while using two types of corrective feedback (CF), explicit and implicit. A total of 80 Iranian EFL learners participated in the study. Of the participants, 40 studied grammar using the FTM, and the other 40 in a traditional manner. Each group was divided into two groups of 20 receiving different types of CF (explicit vs. implicit). The data were collected over time through three achievement tests (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-week follow-up). A split-plot analysis of variance (SPANOVA) revealed a significant main effect for time and feedback types in the flipped classes. In the traditional classes, although time had a significant impact, the effect of feedback type was not significant. In terms of the integrated effect of feedback and method, it was found that flipped teaching integrated with explicit feedback was beneficial, yielding a significant improvement in students' grammar learning and retention over time.

Editorial

This final 2019 issue of Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching brings together six original empirical studies and two book reviews. In the first paper, Marco Octavio Cancino Avila reports the results of a study that investigated the learning opportunities arising in classroom interactions, placing special emphasis on the contribution of teachers’ and learners’ overlapped turns. Using conversational analysis, he analyzed extracts from six classes taught by three teachers to adult learners of English as a foreign language in Chile. He found that teachers’ skill in appropriately handling learners’ turns that overlapped or directly followed their own had a positive impact on participation and language learning as long as learners were given adequate interactional space (Sert, 2015). The second contribution by Reza Shirani also focuses upon classroom interaction, with the caveat that the main concern is with the effectiveness of different types of corrective feedback (CF). The study explored the relationship between the level of explicitness of input-providing (i.e., recasts) and output-promoting (i.e., prompts) CF moves, and the occurrence of uptake and repair in a foreign language context in Iran. Using the model of error treatment proposed by Lyster and Ranta (1997) to analyze transcripts of 36 hours of classroom interactions in three intact classes, the researcher found that prompts tended to be used more frequently than recasts, which stands in contrast to previous findings, but at the same time produced evidence that greater salience of CF is a crucial factor for the occurrence of self-correction, which is in line with prior research.

Fostering accuracy in L2 writing: impact of different types of corrective feedback in an experimental blended learning EFL course

Corrective feedback (CF) can be provided to learners in different ways (explicit or implicit, focused or unfocused) and is the subject of major controversies in second language acquisition research. As no clear consensus has been reached so far about the most effective approach to CF with a view to fostering accuracy in second language (L2) writing – and as this also holds true for blended learning environments – our study aims at investigating the optimal conditions for effective CF in an experimental blended learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL) course. To explore this question, 93 study participants from Sorbonne Université (Paris, France) were divided up into seven groups: six treatment groups which received six different online CF types and one control group which received no CF. A performance comparison in terms of accuracy between the study participants’ first and last pieces of writing was carried out to analyse the relative effectiveness of the different CF strategies. The results show that any type of CF is better than no CF at all, and that the repeated provision of unfocused indirect CF (with metalinguistic comments on the nature of errors) combined with extra computer-mediated micro-tasks over a certain period of time (24 weeks) seems to be the most efficient CF type in our context. This also points to the usefulness of integrating tutorial CALL activities in the CF provided as these seem to impact output accuracy positively.

Is Corrective Feedback in the ESL Classroom Really Effective? A Background Study

The use, range and efficacy of different types of corrective feedback in the ESL classroom have been widely researched, especially over the past 30 years. This paper attempts to dissect such research and to provide language teachers with an understanding of the background literature and theoretical views surrounding the subject. By summarizing different, often contrasting views on what corrective feedback is, how it works and how effective it is (or not), I strive to provide ESL teachers with a deeper understanding of the available literature and different perspectives that can hopefully better inform and shape our practice. The paper first provides definition of key terms related to corrective feedback, it proceeds to explore a range of theories and views and to look into the core studies regarding both written and spoken feedback and it ends with a short discussion on how these finding are relevant for ESL teachers.

Investigating the Effect of Wiki-Based Corrective Feedback on Accuracy of L2 Learners’ Written Production

Providing feedback to and correcting errors of learners’ language performance is important in both first (L1) and second language (L2) teaching and learning process. A number of studies have examined the effectiveness of different types of corrective-feedback (CF) on L2 learners’ writing and results showed positive effects [1-3]. However, little has examined the effects of CF on L2 writing via wiki [4-5]. Therefore, the current study aims to provide further insights into the effects of implicit CF on L2 learners’ writing through wiki. Nineteen <i> (n=19)</i> undergraduate L2 learners doing English at University Malaysia Pahang were enrolled in the study. During the pretest session, the learners were required to write an essay on Communication Skills at Workplace for approximately one hour. Next, implicit CF was provided to the essays, and a week later during the posttest session, the learners revised their essays based on the feedback given. Results indicated that wiki-based implicit CF helped L2 learners to improve the accuracy of their written productions as evident in total number of error per T-unit (E/T-unit) and total number of error per clauses (E/C). The findings of the study would have great impact and would help the L2 professors and students teaching and learning the L2.

Engaging Saudi EFL Students in Online Peer Review in a Saudi University Context

This study focuses on a Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) context. It employs Google Docs as an educational tool to engage Saudi EFL students in online peer review to address some challenges faced instructors when they implement peer review in class. The main goals of the study are examining what kinds of corrective feedback that Saudi EFL students provide when they edit their peers’ texts in Google Docs, how they can improve their texts based on the collaborative online peer review, and what their attitudes are toward using Google Docs as an online peer review tool. The study utilizes Google Docs, an online questionnaire, and an interview as research tools; after thematic analysis, the results show that Saudi EFL students focus on local and global writing issues and provide different types of corrective feedback that aid them to improve their writing. They have positive attitudes toward using Google Docs in peer review. This tool allows them to engage in an online social environment outside the classroom, feel as critical editors, adjust their writing, and avoid embarrassment. The results also suggest that hierarchical power in the classroom and students’ prior beliefs and experiences can impact their responses to the given feedback from teachers and peers. This study recommends instructors to integrate online peer review as a genre and move beyond low-stakes genre in EFL writing courses at the university level.

The Effect of Two Different Types of Corrective Feedback on EFL Students’ Writing

The present study aims to compare the effectiveness of two different types of corrective feedback: implicit and explicit through learners’ process writing. Process writing is a method which includes drafts to observe students’ improvement with the help of the following drafts. In this study, the sequence of drafts is like that: D1, D2 and D3. The research is conducted with 30 Turkish elementary level students from the preparatory school at Kocaeli University. The writing subjects are chosen in harmony with the subjects in the coursebook This treatment lasts 4 hours in school and continues for students after school for 6 weeks. Students were expected to submit their second draft via email. The students are evenly divided into two groups. While the students in control group receive the correction on their draft 1 and 2 explicitly such as direct correction; the students in the treatment group are expected to infer their errors on their own from the symbols in the correction symbols chart given them beforehand. The data obtained from the second drafts given for the correction to the students after applying various corrective feedback to the students' initial drafts show that the error rate decreases in the second drafts in both groups. A similar treatment standing as Draft 3 is conducted both with the control and experimental groups after a week later. The data obtained show that there is a decrease in the error free clauses rate in the third draft when compared to the students’ second draft. Out of two different types of corrective feedback, the implicit feedback is slightly more effective.

Engaging Saudi EFL Students in Online Peer Review in a Saudi University Context

This study focuses on a Saudi English as a foreign language (EFL) context. It employs Google Docs as an educational tool to engage Saudi EFL students in online peer review to address some challenges faced instructors when they implement peer review in class. The main goals of the study are examining what kinds of corrective feedback that Saudi EFL students provide when they edit their peers’ texts in Google Docs, how they can improve their texts based on the collaborative online peer review, and what their attitudes are toward using Google Docs as an online peer review tool. The study utilizes Google Docs, an online questionnaire, and an interview as research tools; after thematic analysis, the results show that Saudi EFL students focus on local and global writing issues and provide different types of corrective feedback that aid them to improve their writing. They have positive attitudes toward using Google Docs in peer review. This tool allows them to engage in an online social environment outside the classroom, feel as critical editors, adjust their writing, and avoid embarrassment. The results also suggest that hierarchical power in the classroom and students’ prior beliefs and experiences can impact their responses to the given feedback from teachers and peers. This study recommends instructors to integrate online peer review as a genre and move beyond low-stakes genre in EFL writing courses at the university level.

Effects of Metalinguistic Feedback on Grammatical Accuracy of Iranian Field (In)dependent L2 Learners’ Writing Ability

An increasing number of studies have investigated the effects of different types of corrective feedback. However, doubts have been raised whether field (in)dependent (FI/FD) L2 learners benefit differently from the explicit type of corrective feedback (i.e., metalinguistic). This study examined the (possible) effects of metalinguistic feedback on FI/FD intermediate L2 learners’ writing accuracy. To this aim, 52 Iranian intermediate L2 learners in intact classes were classified into FI/FD learners through Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). They were, then, randomly assigned into 2 experimental and 1 control groups. Experimental groups received metalinguistic feedback and the control group received no feedback. Two sample IELTS tests (i.e., the Writing section) were used as the pretest and posttest to measure the participants’ learning of English articles as a result of metalinguistic feedback. Data were analyzed through ANCOVA and post-hoc. Although the results revealed that both the FI/FD learners benefited from metalinguistic feedback, the FD participants outperformed the FI ones. Findings have implications for L2 teachers and researchers to help L2 learners with different cognitive styles to improve their writing accuracy.