Direct versus indirect exposure to corrective feedback

What is it about?

In this paper, I focused on exposure condition, which refers to whether a learner’s exposure to feedback is direct or indirect. Exposure is direct when learners receive feedback on their own errors, whereas it is indirect when they witness another learner receiving feedback. I investigated whether the effectiveness of explicit feedback in the acquisition of Turkish plural and locative morphemes would change depending on exposure condition. The results showed an advantage for receiving feedback directly over receiving feedback indirectly. I explained these results by arguing that the communicative pressure learners experience when they receive feedback directly might have made them cognitively more ready to pay attention to the content of the feedback. The pedagogical implication of this finding is that instructors should increase learners’ opportunities to receive feedback directly, which can only be ensured if one can increase learners’ opportunities for speaking (or writing).

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Research on this variable is of significance because it could help maximize the benefits of feedback in pedagogical practice by providing information about which exposure condition (direct, indirect, or both) should be promoted for designing various classroom activities.