The effects of task design variables and corrective feedback on EFL learners’ writing complexity and accuracy

Abstract

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has occupied an important place in the field of language education; however, some of TBLT dimensions that pertain to the interaction between task design features, written corrective feedback (WCF), and learners’ performance have not received adequate attention in past studies. To fill this gap, the current study investigates how task complexity, task condition, and their interaction determine language learners’ gain from WCF. To conduct the study, 223 participants were randomly assigned into three experimental and one control groups. Participants in the experimental groups received a pretest, followed by three treatment sessions, during which they completed simple or complex writing tasks either individually or collaboratively. They received feedback on their performance and finally completed two posttests. Participants in the control group received pretest, posttest, and regular classroom instruction (instead of the treatment), but they did not receive WCF. Results of statistical analyses demonstrated that task implementation condition had a more highlighted role than task complexity in determining learners’ gain from WCF, but the interplay between the two variables didn’t affect participants’ writing complexity and accuracy. These findings lend partial support to Skehan’s Tradeoff Hypothesis and to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of language development. Implications for language instructors and syllabus designers will be discussed.

Keywords:

• Writing task
• task complexity
• task condition
• error correction
• task-based education

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• John Chiang, Communication and Media, State University of New York, United States

SUBJECTS:

• Language & Linguistics
• Language Teaching & Learning
• General Language Reference

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge all the students who accepted to take part in the study.

Ethical approval

All subjects gave their informed consent for inclusion before they participated in the study.

Data availability

The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available. But they can be demanded from the corresponding author of the study upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author’s contributions

The author designed the study, collected the data and performed statistical analyses. He prepared the manuscript and approved the final version.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Mohammad Bagheri

Mohammad Bagheri has an MA degree in applied linguistics from University of Tehran, Iran. He has been working as an EFL instructor and translator in recent years. His main research interests include second language acquisition, the use of technology in L2 instruction, and the relationship between culture and language identity.