The effects of written corrective feedback
a critical synthesis of past and present research
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/isla.37949Keywords:
feedback, written corrective feedback, second language writing, feedback effectiveness, error correction, direct and indirect feedback, focused feedback, comprehensive feedbackAbstract
This paper presents a critical synthesis of research on written corrective feedback (WCF) and its effects on second language (L2) learning over the past four decades. WCF is an essential component of L2 teaching. However, whether WCF helps has been an issue of considerable debate in the literature. While many researchers have stressed its importance, some others have expressed doubt concerning its effectiveness. The controversy over the effectiveness of WCF was heightened when Truscott argued in 1996 that error correction is ineffective and harmful and others who strongly countered his argument that feedback is effective (e.g. Chandler 2003; Ferris 1999). This article provides an in-depth synthesis and analysis of this area of research, examining key issues and findings as well as the various contentions and concerns raised regarding the effects of WCF. The article concludes with implications for future research and with insights about how to move forwards.
References
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Chen, S., Nassaji, H. and Liu, Q. (2016) EFL learners’ perceptions and preferences of written corrective feedback: a case study of university students from Mainland China. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education 1: 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-016-0010-y
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Ellis, R., Basturkmen, H. and Loewen, S. (2001) Pre-emptive focus on form in the ESL classroom. TESOL Quarterly 35: 407–32. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588029
Ellis, R., Sheen, Y., Murakami, M. and Takashima, H. (2008) The effects of focused and unfocused written corrective feedback in an English as a foreign language context. System 36: 353–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.02.001
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Ferris, D. (1997) The influence of teacher commentary on student revision. TESOL Quarterly 31: 315–39. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588049
Ferris, D. (1999) The case for grammar correction in L2 writing classes: a response to Truscott (1996). Journal of Second Language Writing 8: 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(99)80110-6
Ferris, D. (2002) Treatment of error in second language student writing. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Ferris, D. (2003) Responding to writing. In B. Kroll (ed.) Exploring the Dynamics of Second Language Writing 119–40. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524810.010
Ferris, D. (2004) The ‘grammar correction’ debate in L2 writing: where are we, and where do we go from here? (and what do we do in the meantime …?). Journal of Second Language Writing 13: 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.04.005
Ferris, D. (2006) Does error feedback help student writers? New evidence on the short- and long-term effects of written error correction. In K. Hyland and F. Hyland (eds) Feedback in Second Language Writing: Contexts and Issues 81–104. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Ferris, D. (2008) Feedback: issues and options. In P. Friedrich (ed.) Teaching Academic Writing 93–124. London, UK: Continuum.
Ferris, D. (2010) Second language writing research and written corrective feedback in SLA. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 32: 181–201. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263109990490
Ferris, D. R. and Helt, M. (2000) Was Truscott right? New evidence on the effects of error correction in L2 writing classes. Paper presented at the American Association of Applied Linguistics Conference, March 11–14, 2000, Vancouver, BC.
Ferris, D. and Roberts, B. (2001) Error feedback in L2 writing classes: how explicit does it need to be? Journal of Second Language Writing 10: 161–84. https://doi. org/10.1016/S1060-3743(01)00039-X
Frear, D. and Chiu, Y. (2015) The effect of focused and unfocused indirect written corrective feedback on EFL learners’ accuracy in new pieces of writing. System 53: 24–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.06.006
Gascoigne, C. (2004) Examining the effect of feedback in beginning L2 composition. Foreign Language Annals 37: 71–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2004. tb02174.x
Gholaminia, I., Gholaminia, A. and Marzban, A. (2014) An investigation of meta-linguistic corrective feedback in writing performance. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 116: 316–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.214
Hartshorn, K. J., Evans, N. W., Merrill, P. F., Sudweeks, R. R., Strong-Krause, D. and Anderson, N. J. (2010) Effects of dynamic corrective feedback on ESL writing accuracy. TESOL Quarterly 44: 84–109. https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2010.213781
Hyland, K. and Hyland, F. (2006) Feedback on second language students’ writing. Language Teaching 39: 83–101. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444806003399
Kang, EunYoung and Han, Zhaohong (2015) The efficacy of written corrective feedback in improving L2 written accuracy: a meta-analysis. Modern Language Journal 99: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12189
Kao, C. and Wible, D. (2014) A meta-analysis on the effectiveness of grammar correction in second language writing. English Teaching and Learning 38: 29–69.
Karim, K. and Nassaji, H. (2018) The revision and transfer effects of direct and indirect comprehensive corrective feedback on English-as-a-second-language (ESL) students’ writing. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168818802469
Kepner, C. G. (1991) An experiment in the relationship of types of written feedback to the development of second-language writing skills. Modern Language Journal 7: 305–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1991.tb05359.x
Krashen, S. (1982) Principles and Practice in Second Language Acquisition. Oxford: Pergamon.
Krashen, S. (1985) The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications. Harlow: Longman.
Lalande, J. F. (1982) Reducing composition errors: an experiment. Modern Language Journal 66: 140–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1982.tb06973.x
Lee, I. (1997) ESL learners’ performance in error correction in writing: Some implications for college-level teaching. System 25: 465–77. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0346-251x(97)00045-6
Lira Gonzales, M. and Nassaji, H. (2018) Teachers’ written corrective feedback and students’ revision in the ESL classroom. Paper presented at the American Association for Applied Linguistics Conference, 24–27 March, Chicago, USA.
Liu, Y. (2008) The effects of error feedback in second language writing. Arizona Working Papers in SLA and Teaching 15: 65–79.
Lizotte, R. (2001) Quantifying progress in an ESL writing class. MATSOL Currents 27: 7–17.
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Published
2020-11-13
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How to Cite
Karim, K., & Nassaji, H. (2020). The effects of written corrective feedback: a critical synthesis of past and present research. Instructed Second Language Acquisition, 3(1), 28-52. https://doi.org/10.1558/isla.37949
