Feedback on Writing

Abstract

The article first calls attention to research on learner strategies and to the significant role that verbal report data have played in such research. While various research methods have been used to describe such strategies, verbal report measures are being used more and more as a means for describing cognitive processes in such areas as communicating, translating, test taking, and language learning. The article focuses just on the use of verbal report in describing learner strategies in language learning and language using. It is noted that information on learner strategies has evolved from partially intuited lists of strategies to empirically derived taxonomies that have as their ultimate purpose that of training learners to be more successful at language learning. Second, the controversy regarding the use of verbal report measures is discussed. Finally, the article describes a study that employed a variety of verbal report measures in an effort to understand better the strategies that teachers use in giving feedback on compositions and the strategies that learners use in handling this feedback in the English-foreign-languge and Portuguese-nativelanguage classrooms, respectively. LEARNER STRATEGY RESEARCH AND THE ROLE OF VERBAL REPORT DATAOver the last decade, the role of learner strategies has gained increasing prominence in language research. Essentially, such strategies refer to mental operations that learners use in accomplishing language tasks. However, there is controversy over the use of the term. As Oxford (1990, pp. 7-8) pointed out, the term strategy has its origin I would like to thank Gabi Kasper and an anonymous reviewer for their insightful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

The Effects of L2 Proficiency on Pragmatic Comprehension and Learner Strategies

“…For each section, they were allotted 15 minutes to complete it. However, 12 volunteers, six from each proficiency group, were asked to complete the task at a different time for the collection of verbal reports because retrospections "provide a viable-perhaps more effective-means of obtaining empirical evidence as to learner strategies than other means have provided" [31] (p. 134). After the learners finished each item, the first author immediately asked him/her the same question: "Why did you choose this answer?"…”

Perspectives of Saudi EFL Learners towards Teacher Response in Writing Courses

“…The findings of some other studies showed that L2 students who place a high premium on accuracy in writing wished their teachers to point out and correct every error in order to help them produce error-free writing (Lee, 2005;Leki, 1991). Some researchers reported that many surveyed students faced difficulty in understanding the teachers' feedback and found their corrective comments to be vague and confusing (Cohen, 1991), while other researchers found that their students used a range of strategies in dealing with teachers' responses such as discussing the corrective comments with their teacher or friends, consulting grammar books and dictionaries, or doing nothing (Ferris, 1995). In addition, studies on teacher response showed that some L2 students prefer indirect (implicit), corrective feedback and want the teacher to indicate the error without providing the correct form (Arndt, 1993;Hyland, 2001;Saito, 1994) while some other learners prefer direct (explicit) corrective feedback and want the teacher to provide the correct form (Ferris, 2003;Lee, 2005).…”

The Relationship Between Language Mindsets and Feedback Preferences in L2 Writings of EFL Learners

“…Past research has shown that giving feedback effectively contributes to grammatical, morphological, and phonological development (Lyster et al, 2013). the ways through which learners prefer to receive feedback have attracted a great many scholars' attention as studies on written corrective feedback (e.g., Cohen & Cavalcanti, 1990;Diab, 2005;Halimi, 2008;Lee, 2004;Leki, 1991;Rennie, 2000;Saito, 1994;Wang, 2010) and on the importance of feedback preferences by L2 learners (e.g., Diab, 2005;Ferris, 1999Ferris, , 2004Hedgcock & Lefkowitz. 1994;Lee, 2005;Leki, 1991;Truscott, 1996Truscott, , 1999 abound.…”