The Effect of Automated Adaptive Corrective Feedback: L2 English questions

Abstract

The research on the amount and the types of corrective feedback beneficial for learning a second or foreign language has produced inconsistent results. Interestingly, studying corrective feedback from the perspective of a sociocultural theory of learning has the potential to resolve these differences although so far, these studies have been largely qualitative. The present study attempts to contribute to the existing research on corrective feedback from this perspective by comparing the effects of two types of automated corrective feedback on learning: adaptive feedback (i.e., feedback incrementally adapting to learners’ abilities by becoming more explicit and detailed) and knowledge of response feedback. The participants were learners of English randomly assigned to two groups, receiving either adaptive feedback (experimental group) or knowledge of response feedback (control group). The aim was to establish whether adaptive corrective feedback had a positive effect on learning, the target being L2 (second or foreign language) English questions. The findings indicate a significantly higher positive effect of the adaptive corrective feedback. Furthermore, the experimental group considered the feedback to be significantly more useful for learning than the control group although there was not a clear difference between the two groups’ perceived usefulness of the feedback for getting the answers right during the intervention. It is argued that adaptive corrective feedback can raise learners’ awareness of their mistakes, and it is suggested that it can facilitate individualised approach to learners. Further research is suggested.