The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages
Abstract Unfocused corrective feedback is pivotal in second language (L2) writing instruction, yet its differential impacts on various linguistic elements remain underexplored in existing literature. The present study investigated the effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback versus no correcti...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05126-x |
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| author | Chian-Wen Kao Barry Lee Reynolds Xiaofang Zhang Michael Ping Wong |
| author_facet | Chian-Wen Kao Barry Lee Reynolds Xiaofang Zhang Michael Ping Wong |
| author_sort | Chian-Wen Kao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Unfocused corrective feedback is pivotal in second language (L2) writing instruction, yet its differential impacts on various linguistic elements remain underexplored in existing literature. The present study investigated the effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback versus no corrective feedback in enhancing English article, prepositional, and verb tense accuracy among L2 student writers. Conducted over an 18-week period with 57 participants, the research employed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design to evaluate the impacts of these feedback types on linguistic accuracy. Participants were divided into two groups: a group that received only content feedback, and an experimental group that received both content feedback and unfocused corrective feedback. The findings indicate that unfocused corrective feedback effectively improved the accuracy of English articles, with notable gains observed in the delayed posttests. However, the effects on prepositional and verb tense accuracy were less pronounced, suggesting that more targeted feedback strategies may be necessary for these error types. The results highlight the utility of unfocused corrective feedback in writing instruction, emphasizing its role in enhancing grammatical accuracy, particularly in articles. This underscores the need for incorporating diverse feedback mechanisms to address varied linguistic challenges in L2 writing contexts. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-deefb18ae8434ebca916f88a6f23564e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-deefb18ae8434ebca916f88a6f23564e2025-08-20T03:42:40ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922025-07-0112111110.1057/s41599-025-05126-xThe effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usagesChian-Wen Kao0Barry Lee Reynolds1Xiaofang Zhang2Michael Ping Wong3International Language and Culture Center, Yuan Ze UniversityFaculty of Education, University of MacauFaculty of Education, University of MacauLinguistics and Language Development Department, San Jose State UniversityAbstract Unfocused corrective feedback is pivotal in second language (L2) writing instruction, yet its differential impacts on various linguistic elements remain underexplored in existing literature. The present study investigated the effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback versus no corrective feedback in enhancing English article, prepositional, and verb tense accuracy among L2 student writers. Conducted over an 18-week period with 57 participants, the research employed a pretest-posttest-delayed posttest design to evaluate the impacts of these feedback types on linguistic accuracy. Participants were divided into two groups: a group that received only content feedback, and an experimental group that received both content feedback and unfocused corrective feedback. The findings indicate that unfocused corrective feedback effectively improved the accuracy of English articles, with notable gains observed in the delayed posttests. However, the effects on prepositional and verb tense accuracy were less pronounced, suggesting that more targeted feedback strategies may be necessary for these error types. The results highlight the utility of unfocused corrective feedback in writing instruction, emphasizing its role in enhancing grammatical accuracy, particularly in articles. This underscores the need for incorporating diverse feedback mechanisms to address varied linguistic challenges in L2 writing contexts.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05126-x |
| spellingShingle | Chian-Wen Kao Barry Lee Reynolds Xiaofang Zhang Michael Ping Wong The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages |
| title_full | The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages |
| title_fullStr | The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages |
| title_short | The effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers’ acquisition of English article, prepositional and verb tense usages |
| title_sort | effectiveness of unfocused corrective feedback on second language student writers acquisition of english article prepositional and verb tense usages |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05126-x |
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