Focused direct corrective feedback: Effects on the elementary English learners’ written syntactic complexity

Year 2021, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 132 - 150, 08.04.2021

Mohammadreza Valizadeh , Fatemeh Soltanpour

https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.911207

Cited By: 2

Abstract

This experimental study, using a pretest-treatment-posttest design, compared the effects of focused direct written corrective feedback and additional writing practice on L2 learners’ written syntactic complexity. The participants were 60 Iranian elementary EFL learners, whose L2 proficiency as well as L2 writing syntactic complexity and accuracy were controlled by administering the Oxford Quick Placement Test and a paragraph writing test. They were assigned to two groups: Focused direct corrective feedback (FDCF) and additional writing practice without feedback (No CF). The investigation included five sessions and lasted for three weeks. Every session, each participant wrote a paragraph of descriptive type in class. The experimental group received FDCF, while the control (i.e. No CF) group was provided only with additional writing practice. Lu's (2010) web-based L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer was utilized to calculate the five indices of syntactic complexity measures, including mean length of clause (MLC), mean length of sentence (MLS), mean length of T-unit (MLT), clauses per sentence (C/S), and verb phrases per T-unit (VP/T). The MANOVA test revealed no statistically significant difference between the two groups.

Keywords

Focused written corrective feedback, direct corrective feedback, syntactic complexity, additional writing practice, EFL elementary learners

References

• Anderson, J. R. (1993). Rules of the mind. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Bardovi-Harlig, K. (1992). A second look at T-unit analysis: Reconsidering the sentence. TESOL Quarterly, 26, 390–395. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587016
• Bitchener, J. (2008). Evidence in support of written corrective feedback. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17(2), 102–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.11.004
• Bitchener, J., East, M., & Cartner, H. (2010). The effectiveness of providing second language (L2) writers with on-line written corrective feedback. Ako Aotearoa. Ako Aotearoa Publication. Retrieved from https://akoaotearoa.ac.nz/download/ng/file/group-5/the-effectiveness-of-providing-second-language-writers-with-on-line-written- corrective-feedback.pdf
• Bitchener, J., & Ferris, D. R. (2012). Written corrective feedback in second language acquisition and writing. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2008). The value of written corrective feedback for migrant and international students. Language Teaching Research, 12(3), 409–431. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168808089924
• Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2009). The relative effectiveness of different types of direct written corrective feedback. System, 37(2), 322–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.12.006
• Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2010a). Raising the linguistic accuracy level of advanced L2 writers with written corrective feedback. Journal of Second Language Writing, 19(4), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2010.10.002
• Bitchener, J., & Knoch, U. (2010b). The contribution of written corrective feedback to language development: A ten month investigation. Applied Linguistics, 31(2), 193– 214. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amp016
• Bitchener, J. & Knoch, U. (2015). Written corrective feedback studies: Approximate replication of Bitchener & Knoch (2010a) and Van Beuningen, de Jong & Kuiken (2012). Language Teaching, 48(3), 405–414. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444815000130
• Bitchener, J., Young, S., & Cameron, D. (2005). The effect of different types of corrective feedback on ESL student writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 14(3), 191–205. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2005.08.001
• Bonilla López, M., Van Steendam, E., Speelman, D., & Buyse, K. (2018). The differential effects of comprehensive feedback forms in the second language writing class. Language Learning, 68(3), 813–850. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12295
• Bruton, A. (2009). Improving accuracy is not the only reason for writing, and even if it were ... System, 37(4), 600–613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2009.09.005
• Bruton, A. (2010). Another reply to Truscott on error correction: Improved situated designs over statistics. System, 38(3), 491–498. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2010.07.001
• Chandler, J. (2003). The efficacy of various kinds of error feedback for improvement in the accuracy and fluency of L2 student writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 12(3), 267–296. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(03)00038-9
• Crossley, S. A., & McNamara, D. S. (2014). Does writing development equal writing quality? A computational investigation of syntactic complexity in L2 learners. Journal of Second Language Writing, 26, 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2014.09.006
• Ellis, R. (2009). A typology of written corrective feedback types. English Language Teaching, 63(2), 97–107. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccn023
• Ellis, R. (2012). Language teaching research and language pedagogy. West Sussex, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Ellis, R., Sheen, Y., Murakami, M., & Takashima, H. (2008). The effects of focused and unfocused written corrective feedback in an English as a foreign language context. System, 36(3), 353–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.02.001
• Farrokhi, F., & Sattarpour, S. (2012). The effects of direct written corrective feedback on improvement of grammatical accuracy of high-proficient L2 learners. World Journal of Education, 2(2), 49–57. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v2n2p49
• Fazilatfar, A. M., Fallah, N., Hamavandi, M., & Rostamian, M. (2014). The effect of unfocused written corrective feedback on syntactic and lexical complexity of L2 writing. International Conference on Current Trends in ELT, 98, 482–488. Elsevier B.V. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.443
• Ferris, D. R. (1999). The case for grammar correction in L2 writing classes, a response to Truscott (1996). Journal of Second Language Writing, 8(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(99)80110-6
• Ferris, D. R. (2004). The “grammar correction” debate in L2 writing: Where are we, and where do we go from here? (and what do we do in the meantime ...?). Journal of Response to Writing, 13(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.04.005
• Ferris, D. R. (2006). Does error feedback help student writers? New evidence on the short- and long-term effects of written error correction. In K. Hyland & F. Hyland (Eds.), Feedback in second language writing: Contexts and issues (pp. 81–104). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
• Ferris, D. R. (2010). Second language writing research and written corrective feedback in SLA: Intersections and practical applications. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(02), 181–201. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263109990490
• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS (4th. ed.). London: Sage.
• Frantzen, D. (1995). The effects of grammar supplementation on written accuracy in an intermediate Spanish content course. The Modern Language Journal, 79(3), 329– 344. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1995.tb01108.x
• Frear, D. (2010). The effect of focused and unfocused direct written corrective feedback on a new piece of writing. College English: Issues and Trends, 3, 57–71. Retrieved from http://flc.nccu.edu.tw/Conference/3rd/paper.pdf
• Gass, S. M. (1997). Input, interaction and the development of second languages. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Geranpayeh, A. (2003). A quick review of the English quick placement test. Extract from Research Notes, 12, 8–10. Retrieved from http://www.lingue.uniss.it/documenti/lingue/what_is_the_QPT.pdf
• Guénette, D. (2007). Is feedback pedagogically correct? Research design issues in studies of feedback on writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 16(1), 40–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.01.001
• Guénette, D. (2012). The pedagogy of error correction: Surviving the written corrective feedback challenge. TESL CANADA JOURNAL/REVUE TESL DU CANADA, 30(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v30i1.1129
• Hatch, E., & Lazaraton, A. (1991). The research manual: Design and statistics for applied linguistics. Boston, US: Heinle & Heinle.
• Higgins, D., Xi, X., Zechner, K., & Williamson, D. (2011). A three-stage approach to the automated scoring of spontaneous spoken responses. Computer Speech and Language, 25(2), 282–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csl.2010.06.001
• Hulstijn, J. H., & Schmidt, R. (1994). Guest editors’ introduction. AILA Review, 11, 5–10. Retrieved from http://www.aila.info/download/publications/review/AILA11.pdf
• Jiang, J., Bi, P., & Liu, H. (2019). Writing syntactic complexity development in the writings of EFL learners: Insights from a dependency syntactically-annotated corpus. Journal of Second Language Writing, 46, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2019.100666
• Karim, K., & Nassaji, H. (2020). The revision and transfer effects of direct and indirect comprehensive corrective feedback on ESL students’ writing. Language Teaching Research, 24(4), 519–539. http://doi.org/10.1177/1362168818802469
• Kasiri, F., & Fazilatfar, M. A. (2016). The impact of task complexity on cognitive processes of L2 writers and writing quality: The case of writing expertise, L1, and lexical retrieval. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 232(April), 561–568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.10.077
• Kassim, A., & Ng, L. L. (2014). Investigating the efficacy of focused and unfocused corrective feedback on the accurate use of prepositions in written work. English Language Teaching, 7(2), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v7n2p119
• Kellogg, R. T. (1988). Attentional overload and writing performance: Effects of rough draft and outline strategies. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 14(2), 355–365. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-7393.14.2.355
• Kellogg, R. T. (1990). Effectiveness of prewriting strategies as a function of task demands. American Journal of Psychology, 103(3), 327–339. https://doi.org/10.2307/1423213
• Kellogg, R. T. (1996). A model of working memory in writing. In C. M. Levy & S. Ransdell (Eds.), The science of writing: Theories, methods, individual differences and applications (pp. 57–71). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
• Kepner, C. G. (1991). An experiment in the relationships of types of written feedback to the development of second language writing skills. Modern Language Journal, 75(3), 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1991.tb05359.x
• Khushik, G. A., & Huhta, A. (2020). Investigating syntactic complexity in EFL learners’ writing across Common European Framework of Reference. Applied Linguistics, 41(4), 506–532. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amy064
• Kristia, C. V. (2018). The relative effects of focused and unfocused direct written corrective feedback on the accurate use of English articles in Hong Kong primary ESL context. Retrieved from http://libdr1.ied.edu.hk/pubdata/img00/arch00/link/archive/1/instarh/4718.pdf
• Kuiken, F., & Vedder, I. (2019). Syntactic complexity across proficiency and languages: L2 and L1 writing in Dutch, Italian and Spanish. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 29(2), 192–210. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12256
• Larson-Hall, J. (2010). A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS. New York, NY: Routledge.
• Long, M. H. (1996). The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. C. Ritchie & T. K. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 438–468). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
• Lu, X. (2010). Automatic analysis of syntactic complexity in second language writing. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics, 15(4), 474–496. https://doi.org/10.1075/ijcl.15.4.02lu
• Lu, X. (2011). A corpus-based evaluation of syntactic complexity measures as indices of college-level ESL writers’ language development. TESOL Quarterly, 45(1), 36–62. https://doi.org/10.5054/tq.2011.240859
• Lu, X., & Ai, H. (2015). Syntactic complexity in college-level English writing: Differences among writers with diverse L1 backgrounds. Journal of Second Language Writing, 29, 16–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.06.003
• McLaughlin, B. (1990). “Conscious” versus “unconscious” learning. TESOL Quarterly, 24(4), 617–634. https://doi.org/10.2307/3587111
• Mostafa, T. & Crossley, S. A. (2020). Verb argument construction complexity indices and L2 writing quality: Effects of writing tasks and prompts. Journal of Second Language Writing. 49, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2020.100730
• Norris, J., & Ortega, L. (2009). Towards an organic approach to investigating CAF in instructed SLA: The case of complexity. Applied Linguistics, 30(4), 555–578. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amp044
• Ögeyik, M. C. (2018). The comparative effectiveness of noticing in language learning. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 56(4), 337–400. https://doi.org/10.1515/iral-2016-0049
• Ortega, L. (2003). Syntactic complexity measures and their relationship to L2 proficiency: A research synthesis of college‐level L2 writing. Applied Linguistics, 24(4), 492– 518. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/24.4.492
• Ortega, L. (2015). Syntactic complexity in L2 writing: Progress and expansion. Journal of Second Language Writing, 29, 82–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.06.008
• Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (5th. ed.). Berkshire, England: Open University Press.
• Phakiti, A. (2010). Analysing quantitative data. In B. Paltridge & A. Phakiti (Eds.), Continuum companion to research methods in applied linguistics (pp. 39–49). New York, NY: Continuum Companions.
• Polio, C., Fleck, C., & Leder, N. (1998). “If only I had more time”: ESL learners’ changes in linguistic accuracy on essay revisions. Journal of Second Language Writing, 7(1), 43–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1060-3743(98)90005-4
• Polio, C., & Yoon, H. J. (2018). The reliability and validity of automated tools for examining variation in syntactic complexity across genres. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 28(1), 165–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12200
• Rahimi, M. (2019). A comparative study of the impact of focused vs. comprehensive corrective feedback and revision on ESL learners’ writing accuracy and quality. Language Teaching Research, 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168819879182
• Robb, T., Ross, S., & Shortreed, I. (1986). Salience of feedback on error and its effect on EFL writing quality. TESOL Quarterly, 20(1), 83–93. https://doi.org/10.2307/3586390
• Saslow, J., & Ascher, A. (2015a). Top Notch 1 (3rd. ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Saslow, J., & Ascher, A. (2015b). Top Notch Fundamentals (3rd. ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Schmidt, R. W. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 129–158. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/11.2.129
• Schmidt, R. W. (2001). Attention. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 3–32). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Semke, H. (1984). The effects of the red pen. Foreign Language Annals, 17(3), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.1984.tb01727.x
• Sheen, Y. (2007). The effect of focused written corrective feedback and language aptitude on ESL learners’ acquisition of articles. TESOL Quarterly, 41(2), 255–283. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1545-7249.2007.tb00059.x
• Sheen, Y. (2010a). Differential effects of oral and written corrective feedback in the ESL classroom. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(02), 203–234. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263109990507
• Sheen, Y. (2010b). Introduction: The role of oral and written corrective feedback in SLA. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(02), 169–179. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0272263109990489
• Sheen, Y., Wright, D., & Moldawa, A. (2009). Differential effects of focused and unfocused written correction on the accurate use of grammatical forms by adult ESL learners. System, 37(4), 556–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2009.09.002
• Sheppard, K. (1992). Two feedback types: Do they make a difference? RELC Journal, 23(1), 285–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/003368829202300107
• Skehan, P. (1998). A cognitive approach to language learning. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
• Skehan, P., & Foster, P. (2001). Cognition and tasks. In P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction (pp. 183–205). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Soltanpour, F., & Valizadeh, M. (2018). Revision-mediated and attention-mediated feedback: Effects on EFL learners’ written syntactic accuracy. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 9(4), 83–91. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.4p.83
• Ströbel, M., Kerz, E., & Wiechmann, D. (2020). The relationship between first and second language writing: Investigating the effects of first language complexity on second language complexity in advanced stages of learning. Language Learning, 70(3), 732-767. https://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12394
• Swain, M. (1985). Communicative competence: Some roles of comprehensible input and comprehensible output in its development. In S. M. Gass & C. G. Madden (Eds.), Input in second language acquisition (pp. 64–81). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Swain, M. (1995). Three functions of output in second language learning. In G. Gook & B. Seidlhofer (Eds.), Principle and practice in applied linguistics (pp. 125–144). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th. ed.). New Jersey, US: Pearson Education, Inc.
• Torrance, M., & Galbraith, D. (2006). The processing demands of writing. In C. A. MacArthur, S. Graham, & J. Fitzgerald (Eds.), Handbook of writing research (pp. 67–80). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
• Truscott, J. (1996). The case against grammar correction in L2 writing classes. Language Learning, 46(2), 327–369. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-1770.1996.tb01238.x
• Truscott, J. (2004). Evidence and conjecture on the effects of correction: A response to Chandler. Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(4), 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.05.002
• Truscott, J. (2007). The effect of error correction on learners’ ability to write accurately. Journal of Second Language Writing, 16(4), 255–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.06.003
• Truscott, J., & Hsu, A. Y. (2008). Error correction, revision, and learning. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17(4), 292–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2008.05.003
• Valizadeh, M. (2020). The effect of comprehensive written corrective feedback on EFL learners’ written syntactic accuracy. Advances in Language and Literary Studies, 11(1), 17-26. http://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.11n.1p.17
• Van Beuningen, C. G., De Jong, N. H., & Kuiken, F. (2008). The effect of direct and indirect corrective feedback on L2 learners’ written accuracy. ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 156, 279–296. https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.156.24beu
• Van Beuningen, C. G., De Jong, N. H., & Kuiken, F. (2012). Evidence on the effectiveness of comprehensive error correction in second language writing. Language Learning, 62(1), 1–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2011.00674.x
• Vyatkina, N. (2012). The development of second language writing complexity in groups and individuals: A longitudinal learner corpus study. Modern Language Journal, 96(4), 572–594. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.2012.01401.x
• Yang, W., Lu, X., & Cushing Weigle, S. (2015). Different topics, different discourse: Relationships among writing topic, measures of syntactic complexity, and judgments of writing quality. Journal of Second Language Writing, 28, 53–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.02.002
• Yoon, H. J. (2017). Linguistic complexity in L2 writing revisited: Issues of topic, proficiency, and construct multidimensionality. System, 66, 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.03.007