Document Type : Research Paper

Author

• Zeynep Daşer

Ataturk University, Turkey

Abstract

Fuelled by the advent of process-oriented approaches to writing instruction, written corrective feedback (WCF) has garnered popularity, as a written communication skill, in second and foreign language writing research. Despite the prior reviews on WCF so far, no attempt has been made to synthesize existing research evidence on students’ communication preferences for it. Driven by the gap, the present study seeks to systematically review empirical research on learners’ WCF preferences published between 2013 and 2023 to examine their trends and major findings. The review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 Statement Guidelines, and three electronic databases including Web of Science, ERIC, and Scopus were searched. Thirty studies were evaluated based on their relevance and quality. Content analysis indicated that the majority of these primary articles were mixed-method studies, using mostly questionnaires to gather data. Three major groups of research foci were identified. The publications mostly recruited adult, intermediate-level, EFL university students. Students expressed a strong preference for teacher-initiated, direct, comprehensive WCF, targeting grammar errors, and were provided with a red pen.

Keywords

• Written corrective feedback
• Students’ preferences
• ESL/EFL settings
• Communication
• Systematic review