The Effect of Feedback on Learners of a Foreign Language - Dissertation Example

Despite the paramount importance of written feedback on the assignments of students learning a foreign language, less emphasis is placed on research in this area. There has been researching on what students perceive about writing in a second language (Ismail 2011); also teaching writing to students of foreign language (Gaudiani 1981; Caywood & Gillian 1987) or learning to write the foreign language (Cumming 2001) are explored in research however the feedback (especially the written feedback), its importance and how it can be improved further are the areas emphasized less in research.

There is less research on written feedback; for example, Ferris and Hedgcock (2005) explained that feedback in the form of written comments about a piece of composition helps a student to achieve proficiency in writing, Herrera (2011) holds that written feedback is regarded as an effective method to make the learners identify the differences between the target language and the inter-language and strive to attain accuracy whereas Corpuz (2011) explained that written feedback also promotes the habit of proofreading and self-editing among the learners.

However, pointing out the areas where the correction needs to be done is a dilemma every teacher faces. Van Beuningen (2010, p. 1) stated that “the role of (written) corrective feedback (CF) in the process of acquiring a second language (L2) has been an issue of considerable controversy among theorists and researchers alike”. Van Beuningen (2010) continues that mostly the teachers address errors in the text, style of writing, arrangement of the work, the vocabulary used, and other linguistic errors.

Though limited however research conducted so far on the topic suggests that written feedback is effective, however, what students think about written feedback is an area still unexplored. One problem that arises in language learning is the lack of interest shown by the student in utilizing the written feedback from the teacher.