Skip to main content
Apply Library A-Z Find a person Maps
Brightspace Email
University
of Victoria
Apply Library A-Z Find a person Maps
Sign in Online tools Sign out
Faculty of Graduate Studies

Isabel de Paula

Notice of the Final Oral Examination for the Degree of Master of Arts

Topic

Feedback on English as an Additional Language Students’ Writing: Trends and Perspectives in Corrective Feedback Strategies

Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Date & location

  • Friday, March 8, 2024

  • 10:00 A.M.

  • Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

  • Dr. Tim Anderson, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

  • Dr. Ted Riecken, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, UVic (Member)

External Examiner

  • Dr. Hossein Nassaji, Department of Linguistics, University of Victoria 

Chair of Oral Examination

  • Dr. John Archibald, Department of Linguistics, UVic

     

Abstract

Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) has gained continuous attention in recent years. This growing interest is attributed to both the conceptual controversies surrounding feedback and the variety of available written corrective feedback strategies. While the diversity of options (and opinions) allows teachers to differentiate instruction and feedback, it also poses challenges such as confusion and insecurity, as teachers need to fully understand the characteristics of each strategy and which factors might influence them, in addition to understanding their students’ individual needs and abilities to make informed decisions concerning the most suitable strategy.

To address such complexity in feedback choices, this study takes a content analytic approach to synthesize and compare 48 empirical studies of written corrective feedback on English as an Additional Language (EAL) students’ writing published between 2011 and 2019. The main aim of this content analysis is to investigate written corrective feedback trends over the years and identify potential factors that could impact the effectiveness of these WCF strategies. Results indicate that written corrective feedback can foster improved language accuracy and help EAL students to enhance their second language writing skills. However, feedback’s efficacy is mediated by certain variables that include the learners’ proficiency levels, age, the learning environment, previous content and metalinguistic knowledge, and students’ and teachers’ perceptions of the corrective feedback. Furthermore, the duration of exposure to both the target language and the WCF strategy also plays an important role in the effectiveness of the feedback.

Back to oral exams