The Role of Corrective Feedback in Writing Improvement. A Case of Iranian EFL Learners

Master's Thesis , 2014 , 107 Pages , Grade: 18.50

Didactics for the subject English - Pedagogy, Literature Studies

Previous research has shown that corrective feedback on an assignment helps learners reduce their errors during the revision process. Does this finding constitute evidence that learning resulted from the feedback? Differing answers play an important role in the ongoing debate over the effectiveness of error correction, suggesting a need for empirical investigation. In this study, two groups of EFL learners were asked to write an in-class narrative. Their papers were collected, revised and returned to them in the next session. Half of the students had their errors underlined and used this feedback in the revision task while the other half did the same task without feedback. Results matched those of the previous studies: the underlined group was significantly more successful than the control group. Later on, the students were identically taught in 9 sessions. In the 12th session, however, the students were asked to write the same narrative they had produced in the first and second session as a measure of long-term learning. On this measure, the two groups were virtually identical. Thus, successful error reduction during revision is not a predicator of learning as the two groups differed dramatically on the former but were indistinguishable on the later. Improvements made during revision are not evidence on the effectiveness of correction for improving learners’ writing ability in the long run.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Chapter One (Introduction)
• 1.1. Preliminaries
• 1.2. The Nature of Written Response
• 1.3. Assessing Written Response
• 1.4. The Role of Feedback in Improving Teaching
• 1.5. Corrective Feedback in Natural and Instructed FL Learning
• 1.6. Types of Corrective Feedback in Instructed FL Learning
• 1.7. Feedback and Performance
• 1.8. Peer Feedback and Performance
• 1.8.1. Peer Feedback in the Domain of Writing
• 1.9. Teacher vs. Peer feedback
• 1.10. Instructional Interventions to Foster Peer Feedback Effectiveness
• 1.11. Error Correction, Revision, and Learning
• 1.12. Statement of the Problem
• 1.13. Research Questions
• 1.14. Research Hypotheses
• 1.15. Significance of the Study
• 1.16. Scope of the Study
• 1.17. Definition of Key Terms
• CHAPTER TWO (Review of the Literature)
• 2.1. Effectiveness of Teacher's Feedback
• 2.1.1. The Impact of Peer and Teacher Feedback
• 2.1.2 Student Views of Peer and Teacher Feedback
• 2.2. The Pedagogical Effectiveness of Peer Reviews
• 2.3. Surveys of Teachers' Assessment Practice
• 2.4. Academic Writing
• 2.5. Empirical Studies
• 2.5.1. Studies Comparing Different Types of Corrective Feedback
• 2.6. Design Issues
• 2.7. Feedback and Performance
• 2.8. L2Writers in the Writing Center
• 2.9. Responding to Language in L2 Writers' Texts
• 2.10. Impact of Subject Matter on Writing Performance
• 2.10.1. Effective Practices in Assessing and Providing Feedback on Classroom Writing
• 2.11. Students' Perceptions of Feedback by Teachers
• 2.12. Repeated Feedback
• 2.13. Context and Overview of Bitchener (2008)
• 2.14. Response to Xu's Critique of Bitchener (2008)
• 2.15. The Relative Effectiveness of Explicit and Implicit Written Corrective Feedback
• CHAPTER THREE (Methodology)
• 3.1. Participants
• 3.2. Materials
• 3.3. Procedure
• 3.4. Data Analysis
• CHAPTER FOUR (Results)
• 4.1. Results

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

The study aims to investigate the role of corrective feedback in improving the writing abilities of Iranian EFL learners. The study seeks to determine whether corrective feedback, particularly in the form of underlined errors, leads to long-term learning and writing improvement. Key themes explored in this study include:

• The effectiveness of corrective feedback in writing improvement
• The relationship between error correction and learning outcomes
• The long-term impact of corrective feedback on writing skills
• The comparison between teacher feedback and peer feedback
• The role of revision in language learning

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Chapter One: Introduction This chapter provides an overview of the study, laying out the theoretical foundations and research questions. It explores the nature of written response, assessment practices, the role of feedback in language teaching, different types of corrective feedback, and the relationship between feedback and student performance. The chapter further discusses the significance of peer feedback, teacher-student feedback interactions, and the impact of error correction on revision and learning. Finally, it presents the research questions, hypotheses, and the scope of the study.
• Chapter Two: Review of the Literature This chapter delves into previous research on the effectiveness of teacher and peer feedback, examining student perspectives on these feedback mechanisms. It explores the pedagogical effectiveness of peer reviews and surveys of teachers' assessment practices. The chapter then discusses the specific context of academic writing, examining empirical studies comparing different types of corrective feedback, and exploring the challenges and design issues associated with research in this field. It concludes by reviewing existing research on feedback and performance, the role of writing centers in L2 writing development, and the impact of subject matter on writing performance.
• Chapter Three: Methodology This chapter outlines the methodology used in the study, including details about the participants, materials, procedure, and data analysis methods employed.
• Chapter Four: Results This chapter presents the findings of the study.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This study focuses on the role of corrective feedback, written response, and error correction in improving the writing abilities of Iranian EFL learners. The core concepts explored include the effectiveness of corrective feedback, the impact of different feedback types on writing development, the relationship between feedback and performance, and the importance of revision and learning in the context of second language acquisition.

• Course: The Role of Corrective Feedback in Writing Improvement: A Case of Iranian EFL Learners
• Grade: 18.50
• Author: Sajad Sadeghi (Author)
• Publication Year: 2014
• Pages: 107
• Catalog Number: V283925
• ISBN (eBook): 9783656862161
• ISBN (Book): 9783656862178
• Language: English
• Tags: Feedback, Written Response, Error Correction