EFL university students’ preferences for error correction and teacher feedback to writing

Abstract

Responding to student writing is one of the most controversial topics in second language (L2) instruction and theory. Do students benefit from teachers’ corrections and written comments on their writing? If so, are some types of feedback more effective than others? Just as importantly, what are students’ preferences for feedback and error correction? Students’ beliefs about what constitutes effective feedback on writing and their expectations regarding teacher paper-marking techniques may influence the effectiveness of such feedback (Schulz, 1996); therefore, it is important to investigate L2 students’ preferences for teacher feedback on writing in order to ascertain whether these preferences and expectations match those of their teachers. This paper reports on a study investigating EFL university students’ preferences for error correction and paper-marking techniques.