EFL Students' Preferences for Written Corrective Feedback: Do Error Types, Language Proficiency, and Foreign Language...

Area of Science:

• Applied Linguistics
• Second Language Acquisition
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) is crucial for language learning.
• Learner variables like proficiency and foreign language enjoyment (FLE) may impact WCF preferences.
• Understanding these preferences informs effective feedback strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate EFL learners' preferences for different WCF types.
• To examine the influence of proficiency and FLE on WCF preferences.
• To explore learner factors affecting WCF choices.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach combining questionnaires and interviews.
• 117 Thai university EFL students participated.
• Analysis of preferences for explicit vs. implicit WCF and selective vs. comprehensive feedback.

Main Results:

• Learners generally preferred explicit WCF (metalinguistic explanation, overt correction) for most errors.
• Higher proficiency and FLE learners showed some appreciation for less explicit WCF (underlining, error codes).
• FLE influenced perceptions of feedback scope; L1, target language knowledge, and affective factors also played roles.

Conclusions:

• Explicit WCF is broadly preferred by EFL learners.
• Learner characteristics significantly shape WCF preferences and perceptions.
• Pedagogical approaches should consider individual learner differences in providing WCF.