Many language teachers spend countless hours correcting student writing in hopes of improvement in accuracy, but as of yet, there has been little consensus regarding the efficacy of written corrective feedback (CF) or the type of CF that is most efficient. Although many studies have been conducted on the topic, conflicting results have arisen. In…

This paper describes the rationale, design and implementation of a short private online course (SPOC) on data-driven learning (DDL) (Johns, 1991), focusing on L2 error correction in postgraduate academic writing and involving over 300 registered users. I discuss the affordances of using a SPOC platform (namely "EdX") for online DDL…

The present study provides a report on an experiment seeking the effect of proactive intensive form-focused instruction on the grammatical development of intermediate and advanced Iranian EFL learners. More specifically the aim of the study was to discern (a) whether the grammatical knowledge of Iranian EFL learners at different proficiency levels…

Reports on a study in progress. Considers if papers produced by students who learned from reduced-grammar methods have fewer errors than papers produced by students who learned from traditional grammar handbooks. Explores if students who use a computer to search for errors correct more errors than students who search manually. Examines if students…

A study at Lansing, Michigan Community College investigated whether the current policy of grading the students according to the number of errors in their compositions was actually helping the students to make fewer errors in their writing. Error data were collected from 4 graded essays from each of 311 students in 2 writing courses (one on…

This meta-analysis reviewed 58 effect sizes from 40 reports on the instructional effects of feedback in tests or similar situations. Mediated instructional feedback for retrieval and application of specific knowledge appeared to stimulate correction of erroneous responses when its reception was encouraged. (SLD)

Argues that, to deal effectively with sentence errors of basic writers, it is crucial to distinguish between what should be left alone and what can be productively marked and how it should be marked. Proposes a taxonomy of four sources of errors (knowledge, dialect, process, and developmental errors) and seven ways to address them. (SR)

This study investigated what forms of feedback, if any, helped students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learn grammar. Subjects, 100 Japanese college students of EFL, were given two types of tests on English dative ("to/for") alternation, then divided into five groups, according to the type of feedback they received: (1) group A was given…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a text revision strategy in improving the writing skills of college students (St. Lawrence Campus of Champlain College in Quebec) of French as a second language. Subjects were two groups of students in one course. One group (n=24) was taught a revision technique using self-questioning to detect and correct…

A study investigated the use of specific error correction and writing instruction techniques in a composition course designed for foreign graduate students. Weekly in-class student essays on assigned topics were returned to them ungraded but containing explanations of grammar points, confusing vocabulary, content, and organization. A conscious…

This study replicating two earlier studies investigated the relative effectiveness of two techniques for teaching English grammar. In the "garden path" method, learners are induced to produce errors, which are then corrected. The error avoidance method prevents error production by means of grammatical explanations. Subjects were 56…

A study in college-level English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction investigated (1) whether or not there is any relationship between the strategic use of explicit grammar knowledge, including metalinguistic concepts, in an attempt to recognize error, and the actual correction of error and success in academic ESL; (2) whether or not certain…

This book presents 16 teaching techniques organized in lessons to be used by teachers who work with adolescents or young adults. The lessons may be used by individuals or in groups to improve instructional skills. A study guide or meeting plan precedes each chapter and suggests objectives, anticipatory set, input and modeling, means to check…

An experimental study compared the effects of controlled and free writing exercises and of evaluative vs. communicative feedback on the writing quality and apprehension of Korean college students of English as a foreign language (EFL). Students in two sections of a freshman reading course wrote dialogue journals as practice in free writing, and…

Some university English as a foreign language (EFL) composition teachers in Taiwan have experimented with audiotaping their commentary on students' writing to help students revise. However, there has been little research on how effective this is for Chinese students. Therefore, a study was designed to shed light on this issue by comparing…