Methods of Research on Depth of Processing for Written Corrective Feedback: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This review employed a scoping review approach to synthesize studies published between 2015 and 2024, focusing on the depth of processing (DoP) of written corrective feedback (WCF) in second language (L2) writing. The objective was to identify trends and issues in the research methods employed in this area. The publications were extracted from Google Scholar using three keywords. After screening with coding criteria, 15 studies were identified from an initial pool of 1,850 published studies. Our review suggests that most of the selected studies were conducted in university settings and compared different types of WCF as independent variables, with DoP and accuracy as dependent variables. To measure DoP, the two primary methods adopted were think-aloud protocols (TA) and written languaging (WL). The levels of DoP varied across the studies, ranging from two to five. Several gaps in the existing DoP studies were identified and discussed, providing recommendations for future research.