Written Corrective Feedback in EFL Context: Contextual and Individual Factors Influencing Students’ Responses

Abstract

This study explores the written corrective feedback (WCF) behaviors of English as a foreign language (EFL) students in an EFL context and the individual and contextual factors that shape these behaviors. Ten students from the English language and translation department were interviewed and their WCF behaviors were explored. The participants were aged between 19 and 23 years, and had studied at least two writing courses taught by different instructors at a Saudi University. The findings revealed that most students had positive affective attitudes toward WCF. Most of them appreciated receiving both positive and negative comments, as the former were encouraging, while the latter helped improve their writing skills. Students’ behavioral responses to WCF varied; while some students were eager to read the feedback and correct their errors, others could correct them only when a second draft was requested. Additionally, most students relied on instructors for error correction, while only a few attempted more autonomous approaches to correction using textbooks or electronic resources. This variation in behavior could be attributed to the students’ different levels of motivation to improve their writing skills and their different individual goals for the writing course. Moreover, students’ responses to WCF were influenced by contextual factors such as the type of WCF received, the instructor’s professionalism and relationship with the students, number of assignments, and time constraints.