The effects of written corrective feedback on the accuracy of L2 writing: Comparing collaborative and individual revision behavior

Abstract

Although the effects of different types of written corrective feedback (WCF) have been examined in great detail, learners’ revision behavior in response to WCF has not been systematically investigated. The current study compared students’ classroom revision behaviors when they worked in pairs and when they worked individually. It further compared the effects of students’ collaborative and individual revision of teachers’ indirect WCF on accuracy development in their subsequent writing. A total of 36 learners of English as a second language (ESL) completed four timed essays over an 8-week academic session. The instructor provided indirect WCF on students’ essays, and the students revised their writing either individually (the self-correction group) or in pairs (the pair-correction group). The students’ revision behavior was analysed in terms of the correctness of revised errors. The accuracy of their writing was analysed in terms of the number of error-free T-units and the total number of errors for each 100 words. The findings indicated that the pair-correction group corrected their errors at a higher rate of accuracy than the self-correction group. Both groups showed significant improvement in the accuracy of their writing after receiving feedback during the 8-week session; however, no difference in improvement was found between the self-correction and the pair-correction groups.