Written Corrective Feedback: The need for collaboration and multidirectional interaction

Abstract

Over the last two decades, there has been significant debate surrounding the potential benefits, or potential harm, generated from the provision of written corrective feedback (WCF) on the writing of language learners. The majority of research in the field has been conducted within a positivist paradigm, which often adopted experimental research designs that measured language development in the form of correct output of targeted linguistic items, with the output sometimes being limited to a single writing task. Through the use of an interpretive paradigm and a socio-culturally informed theoretical framework, this case study examines language development reflected by progression within the language learners’ zone of proximal development (ZPD), generated via the provision of direct WCF. Retrospective interviews provide rich qualitative data that highlight the experiences of participants as they process three different types of WCF. This case study found that WCF was not able to generate any significant shifts towards self regulation within the participants’ ZPD, and thus learning generated via WCF was, at best, minimal. The need for learners to collaborate in order to co-construct their ZPDs during both the processing of WCF and construction stage of writing tasks was identified. Pedagogical implications for language teachers are discussed.

The social consequences of talking to oneself: The dialectical continuum of social and private speech

“…As noted previously, I originally sought to investigate the knowledge adult language learners co‐constructed while processing feedback on jointly produced writing tasks and trace how this knowledge was used in subsequent tasks (see Carr, 2020, 2021). In a similar manner to Smith (2007), multiple instances of private speech that had interpersonal consequences were captured, and serendipitously made an ideal dataset with which to investigate private speech during adult peer‐to‐peer interactions.…”

Review of selected research in applied linguistics published in Australia (2015–2022)

“…The study offers valuable perspectives on how teachers can improve their feedback practices through insights from L2 written corrective feedback. Carr and Weinmann (2018) challenge traditional views on the efficacy of written corrective feedback in language learning. Adopting a socioculturally informed framework, the paper emphasises the importance of collaborative learning.…”