The Impact of Gender and Explicit Written Feedback on Learners’ Grammar Performance

Subject Areas : Journal of Applied Linguistics Studies

Jafar Izadpanah ¹ , Firooz Sadighi ² , Leila Akbarpour ³

1 - Department of English Language, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
2 - Department of English Language, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.
3 - Department of English Language, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran.

Received: 2023-05-01 Accepted : 2023-07-19 Published : 2023-07-26

Keywords: gender, Learners’ Grammar Performance, Written Metalinguistic Feedback,

Abstract :

This study aimed at investigating the effect of explicit written feedback under metalinguistic feedback (WMF) on EFL learners’ grammar performance with involving gender factor. To this end, the performance of the male and female learners as a result of written metalinguistic feedback (explanation) was studied. Sixty homogeneous Iranian EFL male and female high school students were randomly assigned to male and female experimental groups. Afterward, a grammar test was administered to see the effect of the written metalinguistic corrective feedback. This study adopted a pretest-posttest quasi experimental design. The statistical techniques employed to measure such effects were a series of independent paired samples t-tests to analyze the data. The results indicated a significant effect of WMF on the reduction of grammatical errors. Meanwhile, there were no differences between genders in the learners’ performance as a result of written metalinguistic feedback. As for the pedagogical implications, written metalinguistic feedback is suggested as a profitable type of corrective feedback to improve and enhance error correction practices within Iranian EFL context.