The Effectiveness of Synchronous and Asynchronous Written Corrective Feedback on Grammatical Accuracy in a Computer‐Mediated Environment

Abstract

This study extends research on written corrective feedback (CF) by investigating how timing of CF affects grammar acquisition. Specifically, it examined the relative effects of synchronous and asynchronous CF on the accurate use of the hypothetical conditional structure. Participants were 68 intermediate‐level students of English at a university in Japan. Learners from a synchronous CF group (SCF), an asynchronous CF group (ACF), and a comparison group completed 2 writing tasks using Google Docs. The 2 experimental groups received focused direct CF with the following differences: The SCF group received synchronous feedback on grammatical errors during writing tasks, while the ACF learners received feedback after the tasks. Participants revised their texts upon receiving the feedback. The comparison group completed the writing tasks without feedback. Accurate use of the target feature was measured by a set of 3 text reconstruction tasks conducted as pre‐, immediate post‐, and delayed posttests. The results showed that both experimental groups significantly improved from the pretest to the 2 posttests while the comparison group did not. Overall, however, effect sizes for the posttests indicated that SCF was more effective in improving learners’ accuracy with only the SCF group outperforming the comparison group on the delayed posttest.

Using Google Docs to Improve Accuracy in Dialogue Writings

“…One recent study by ref [2] found that using synchronous corrective feedback improved students' accuracy in posttests as compared with a comparison group that only received ACF. They observed that new software such as google docs ™ and Microsoft's Skydrive ™ allow what is a relatively new opportunity for SCF both practically in classroom pedagogy and in terms of SLA.…”

“…Reference [2] describes programmes like Google Docs ™ as -online simultaneous editing software‖. This kind of programme is a relatively recent tool to language teachers and offers new opportunities in a computer mediated learning environment for real time focus on form via synchronous corrective feedback (SCF) and negotiation of meaning, a key aspect of collaborative writing.…”

“…Reference [2] identified three characteristics of using SCF with google docs which do not occur when employing ACF. The first was a difference in writing process.…”

“…These are; planning which includes goal setting, generating and organising ideas, translating which includes formulating and producing texts and text revision which includes comparing the produced text with a mental representation of an ‗ideal text' and then altering the text accordingly [8]. Reference [2] identify that it is the revision stage which is most relevant to SCF. These three processes are affected by ‗learner external factors', and learner internal factors such as working memory.…”

“…Reference [2] found that SCF delivered using an online editing programme improved accuracy in future similar writing tasks, helped learners significantly on developing explicit knowledge and also had a longer lasting effect than ACF. This is attributed to the fact that SCF was -the opportunity for improving accuracy in the process of composing their texts‖, allowing students to make use of it during planning and translating.…”