Bibliografía - feedback

Corrective feedback on second language (L2) writing has remained one of the most heavily studied areas in applied linguistics, yet clear guidance for practitioners about how to provide it most effectively remains limited. Previous studies have meta-analysed written corrective feedback (WCF) research revealing conflicting findings in how WCF affects development in L2 writers’ accuracy over time. This study provides a needed update in light of a recent increase in (quasi)experimental WCF studies. It features several methodological advances by introducing a Bayesian approach to conducting a meta-analysis, which provides a more valid picture of the generalizable effects. The analysis allows distinction – for the first time at a meta-analytic level – between short-, medium-, and long-term effects of WCF. Results aggregate data from an initial 52 primary studies that utilized control groups revealing robust evidence of the durability of moderate effectiveness of WCF over time and deeper insight into the relative effectiveness of various types of WCF (e.g. direct, indirect, metalinguistic – all yielding similar effect sizes) across research contexts, writing task types, target error types, and instructional characteristics. We conclude with recommendations to help continue methodological advances in this domain.

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La función y la utilidad del feedback sobre los trabajos de escritura en la clase de lenguas extranjeras es un tema ampliamente debatido en el campo y hoy sabemos que no cualquier tipo de feedback es efectivo. El propósito de este artículo es analizar y discutir los resultados obtenidos en un curso de escritura llevado a cabo en una universidad danesa con estudiantes de la carrera de máster de español, donde se ha experimentado con una cadena de distintos tipos de feedback para apoyar el aprendizaje y la motivación de las/os participantes. El curso, inspirado en un enfoque socioconstructivista del aprendizaje, se caracteriza por su énfasis en las necesidades y los deseos de los aprendices, quienes asumen diversos roles: como escritores, lectores críticos, editores y sujetos que reflexionan sobre su propio proceso de aprendizaje. A continuación, se discute el diseño del curso y los distintos tipos de feedback practicados, caracterizados todos por su naturaleza interactiva, intensiva e inmediata. Mediante el análisis del material recopilado, se discute, además, el desempeño de las/os participantes en cada uno de los eslabones de la cadena y su evaluación de la experiencia en cuanto a aprendizaje y motivación.

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The role and usefulness of feedback on writing in the context of foreign language learning and teaching is a widely debated topic and today we know that not just any type of feedback is effective. The purpose of this article is to analyze and discuss the results obtained in a writing course carried out at a Danish university with master’s students of Spanish, where a chain of different types of feedback has been experimented with to support learning and motivation. The course, inspired by a socio-constructivist approach to learning, is intended to cater for the needs and desires of the students, who take up different roles: as writers, critical readers, editors, and subjects who reflect on their own learning process. I will discuss the course design and the different types of feedback used, all of them interactive, intensive and immediate. Through the analysis of the collected data, I will also discuss the participants’ performance in each of the links in the feedback chain and their own evaluation of the experience regarding learning and motivation.

The benefits of corrective feedback (CF) for second language (L2) learning are empirically attested, and multiple factors mediating CF effectiveness have been investigated. However, the timing of oral CF has received less attention given most research examines corrections provided immediately after an error. Delayed CF also warrants investigation; it occurs naturally in L2 classrooms and may be an appealing alternative in online learning contexts. Existing CF timing research shows either no significant differences between immediate and delayed CF, or advantages for immediate CF. To elucidate mixed findings, more CF timing studies are needed, especially those considering the effects of factors such as CF type, linguistic target and communication mode. Regarding communication mode, the effect of CF timing on errors made during text-based synchronous computer-mediated communication (SCMC), for instance, has received less attention. Examining text-based SCMC is important given its empirically attested benefits for L2 learning, and in some cases its advantage over face-to-face interaction for fostering CF effectiveness. Investigating the role of CF timing on errors made in text-based SCMC will contribute to efforts to maximize CF effectiveness in online learning environments, which are becoming increasingly common. In this study, 30 third-year learners of Spanish as a foreign language completed a one-way information-gap task with an interlocutor using Skype text-chat. On vocabulary errors, learners received either immediate or delayed error repetition plus recast, or no CF. Results revealed both CF groups significantly outperformed the comparison group on an oral picture description task, with no significant differences between immediate and delayed CF. Results may be due to the salience of the CF modality, type, and target.

This study explores the impact of direct and indirect feedback on the improvement of Spanish past aspect (imperfect/preterit) in writing activities in a third-semester Spanish course. Ninety learners were divided into three groups: direct feedback, indirect feedback, and control (no feedback). Learners completed a pretest, a posttest, and a delayed posttest. Although it remains unclear which type of feedback is more effective, results indicate that both types improved preterit–imperfect performance. As the delayed posttest showed, however, learners exhibited more lasting improvement (as indicated by the delayed posttest) when working on the production Activity than on the terminology and selection activities.

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Este estudio explora el impacto de la retroalimentación directa e indirecta en la mejora del aspecto de pasado (pretérito/imperfecto) con actividades de escritura en un curso de tercer semestre de español. Se dividió noventa estudiantes en tres grupos: retroalimentación directa, retroalimentación indirecta, y un grupo de control (sin retroalimentación). Completaron un pretest, postest, y postest tardío. Aunque no hubo diferencias significativas entre los grupos experimentales, los resultados indican que los participantes mejoraron en el uso de aspecto verbal. No obstante, fue una mejora más perdurable (postest tardío) en la actividad de producción que en las actividades de terminología y selección.

Recent research indicated the effectiveness of immediate and delayed corrective feedback (CF) on second language (L2) learning. What is little known is the moderating effects of learner individual factors such as foreign language anxiety (FLA) on the efficacy of immediate and delayed CF. The primary aim of the present study is thus to investigate if learners’ FLA can moderate the effectiveness of immediate and delayed feedback. To this end, 82 learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) were randomly assigned to two treatment conditions as well as a control group. During three treatment sessions, the participants performed storytelling tasks in groups of four and received either immediate or delayed metalinguistic feedback for the errors they made. Regarding the immediate feedback condition, each participant received metalinguistic feedback immediately following an error while doing the storytelling task. For the delayed feedback condition, metalinguistic feedback was offered for each error at the end of each storytelling task. Two testing instruments, a writing task and an error correction test were used as pretest, posttest and delayed posttest to measure learners’ development as a result of the treatment sessions. Without considering learners’ FLA, the findings revealed that immediate and delayed CF are equally effective to promote L2 development. However, when taking into consideration learners’ FLA through regression analysis, the results revealed that immediate CF was more beneficial for learners with low FLA compared to high anxiety learners, but no significant associations were found between FLA and delayed CF efficacy.

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