To Correct or Not to Correct: The Impact of Written Corrective Feedback on Improving Students’ Writing about Literature

Abstract

This study examines the impact of direct and indirect written corrective feedback (WCF) on Omani English literature students’ use of tenses. The study took place over a period of two months at a university in the Sultanate of Oman. Data was collected from pre- and post-tests of 45 students who represented three groups: control group (N=15), direct group (n=15), and indirect group (n=15). The control group received no feedback, the direct group received feedback on their pre-test, intervention 1, and intervention 2. Their feedback was given directly; i.e., errors were underlined and corrections were given immediately. Indirect group also received feedback on their pre-test, intervention 1, and intervention 2, but their feedback was given indirectly; i.e., errors were underlined but corrections were not given. Students were encouraged to explore why these words were mistakes and were encouraged to correct them. The study’s findings were consistent with previous research that has found mixed results regarding the effectiveness of WCF on second language learners’ language accuracy. However, the study provides new insights by suggesting that direct feedback is more effective than indirect feedback since only direct group posttests were found to be significantly (p=0.02) better than their pretests. The findings are not claimed to be generalizable to other populations or contexts. They lead to recommendations for further research to determine the effectiveness of written corrective feedback on other groups of second language learners in different contexts and for different student populations, especially in the Middle East.