The Efficacy of Corrective Feedback and Textual Enhancement in Promoting the Acquisition of Grammatical Redundancies

Abstract

advocated the use of negative feedback to promote learner noticing of errors and the internalization of correct forms. At the same time, the true efficacy of this practice is uncertain, for it not only entails additional linguistic input but may generally enhance otherwise non-salient language features as well (Leeman, 2003). This study examined the development of theà/au/en/aux distinction before French toponyms among 136 2nd-semester university French learners randomly assigned to an interactive, computer-based reading lesson featuring either textually enhanced or unenhanced target forms and one of four types of corrective feedback: meaningfocused, implicit form-focused, non-metalinguistic explicit form-focused, or metalinguistic explicit form-focused. Learners in all treatment groups showed continuous improvement in mean target item accuracy. However, no differences were observed between any of the conditions. These findings suggest no benefit for highlighting or repeated correction and explanation, at least for the structures in question. Thus, instructors who feel the need to teach these types of necessary grammatical redundancies should perhaps focus on maximizing learners' opportunities to process them through meaningful interaction rather than concentrate on the forms themselves.DESPITE ITS WIDESPREAD ACCEPTANCE IN general parlance, the idea that "we learn from our mistakes" has long been a source of debate in the field of second language acquisition (SLA). Whereas the highly corrective, form-focused Audiolingual Method has been criticized as having failed to foster skills transfer to situations of real communication (Richards & Rodgers, 2001), so too has the more permissive, meaning-based ap-

Using culture beyond its borders: the use of content-enriched instruction and the effects of input enhancement on learning in high school French classes

“…From observing the teachers, it is clear that input enhancement has encouraged teachers to bring a stronger focus on the targeted forms. Research (Cho 2010;Lyddon 2011;Sharwood-Smith 1993;Winke 2013;Wong 2004) on input enhancement has shown that it also helps learners be more aware of the forms. However, this experiment does not sufficiently prove the efficacy of this particular method.…”

“…The material was Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 225 identical for both groups, apart from the following exception: the highlighted lexical, grammatical and cultural features for the focus-on-form treatment group (the pronoun que was highlighted with green, bolded and underlined; the pronoun qui with red, bolded and underlined; lexical and cultural words were in purple, bolded and underlined). The primary motivations for this color enhancement are that the researcher hoped that it would remind teachers to focus on the different types of forms and that learners would have a better chance of noticing forms if the forms were enhanced (Cho 2010;Lyddon 2011;Sharwood-Smith 1993;Winke 2013;Wong 2004). As previously mentioned, Winke (2013) particularly points out that input enhancement is a good tool for bringing saliency to forms in an implicit manner and guide teachers in doing so.…”

“…Most research on input enhancement suggests its impact on assisting learning and raising awareness (Cho 2010;Lyddon 2011;Sharwood-Smith 1993;Winke 2013;Wong 2004). SharwoodSmith (1993) believed that in order for forms to become more salient to learners, they might need to be enhanced through a variety of techniques: through positive and negative input enhancement (by marking the correct or incorrect features), through visual highlighting for a more subtle enhancement, with the help of vocal, facial, and bodily expressions, and by metalinguistic discourse for a more elaborated enhancement.…”

Comparing Explicit Exemplar‐Based and Rule‐Based Corrective Feedback: Introducing Analogy‐Based Corrective Feedback

“…3rd sg ‐ s in English is also grammatically redundant because the subject already indicates person and number. In a CF study focusing on grammatically redundant variants of à before French place names, Lyddon () found no differences between several different types of CF, indicating that grammatically redundant structures might be less sensitive to CF variation.…”

Redundancy in the verbal communication of teachers in primary education

“…Lyddon (Lyddon, 2011) examines college students learning foreign (French) language and investigates how teachers react to students' mistakes. He examines which form of correction (the teacher's response to the students' errors) is the most effective.…”