The Impact of Direct, Indirect, and Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback on Field Dependent and Field Independent (FD/I) EFL Learners’ Writing Accuracy in an Asynchronous Learning Context
Subject Areas : Journal of Studies in Learning and Teaching EnglishFatemeh Jamasbi 1 , Mohammad Bavali 2 , Mohammad Ali Ayatollahi 3
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Keywords: Written corrective feedback, cognitive style, accuracy, field dependent, field independent,
Abstract :
Research on written corrective feedback in second language acquisition has advanced; however, debates continue about the most effective type of feedback. The current study examines the impact of unfocused direct, indirect, and metalinguistic written corrective feedback on the syntactic accuracy of 104 upper-intermediate Iranian EFL university students. Another critical aspect of this study involved examining the potential influence of cognitive style (FD/I) on the efficacy of written corrective feedback. This quasi-experimental study incorporated a pretest, seven treatment sessions, and immediate and delayed posttests. To investigate, a mixed-design Analysis of Variance (SPANOVA) was employed to examine the interaction between the between-group factors, including corrective feedback at four levels (direct, indirect, metalinguistic, and no feedback) and cognitive styles at two levels (FD/I), and the within-group factor, time at three levels (pre-intervention, post-intervention, and two-week delayed intervention). The results indicated that both direct and metalinguistic feedback types are more effective than no feedback. However, indirect feedback did not appear to have a significant impact compared to the absence of feedback. The three-way interaction among time, feedback, and cognitive style was non-significant for accuracy scores, indicating that the combined influence of these factors and accuracy scores was not significant. The findings of this study have significant implications for educators seeking to enhance their students' writing abilities in terms of syntactic accuracy.
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