Exploring L2 Written Corrective Feedback in the Saudi Context: A Critical Review

Abstract

Written corrective feedback (WCF) has received increased attention in recent years because of its widespread implementation and also due to the philosophical debate around its nature, function, and potential benefits. The purpose of this study is to examine the areas that demonstrate development in terms of scope when it comes to WCF in the Saudi context. The study analyses thirty publications that were published between 2016 and 2021 and retrieved from Semantic Scholar and Google Scholar, to assess the key findings on three dimensions: (1) effectiveness of WCF; (2) comparative effectiveness of different strategies in WCF; and (3) beliefs and attitudes of students/teachers toward WCF. Application of the PRISMA 2020 approach shows that most studies on WCF in Saudi Arabia investigated the beliefs and attitudes of students and teachers towards WCF followed by the effectiveness of WCF for learners, and comparative effectiveness of different strategies in WCF to students. The outcomes of this study indicate that a number of difficulties surrounding the scope of feedback need researchers' attention, and that there is also a need to address the existing technique imbalance by including a greater diversity of research procedures in future research designs.