The study reported here investigated and compared the effects of scaffolded feedback and recasts on second language (L2) development. The concept of scaffolded feedback was operationalized based on Vygotsky's concepts of scaffolding and assisted performance. The study included 78 Persian EFL learners who were assigned to either a control group or one of two experimental groups. Learners in the experimental groups received either recasts or scaffolded feedback for their errors during task‐based interactions with their interlocutors while learners in the control group performed the same task but received no feedback. Two dependent measures, an untimed grammaticality judgment test and an oral production task, were administered as pretests and posttests to investigate learners' achievements in the two experimental groups compared with the control condition. The results of data analysis revealed that scaffolded feedback contributed to higher levels of development compared with recasts. The study's findings and implications are discussed from several perspectives.
The current study examined the effects of first language (L1) textual and audio glosses along with the moderating effect of learners’ visual and auditory perceptual style on second language (L2) vocabulary learning. The participants were first divided into two groups of auditory and visual learners based on their scores obtained from a learning style questionnaire. Then, each style group was further subdivided into three groups who received a text via a screen including a number of unfamiliar vocabulary items with one of the following L1 gloss conditions: textual glosses, audio glosses or no glosses. Learners could either hear or see the L1 definitions of target words by clicking on hyperlinks provided under each target word. The results provided evidence that both gloss types promoted vocabulary learning and indicated that audio glosses were more effective than textual glosses. Moreover, the results suggested the moderating role of perceptual learning style in vocabulary learning. Among the treatment groups, the auditory learners who received audio glosses indicated the highest rate of vocabulary learning.
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