The Role of Revision and Teacher Feedback in a Chinese College Context

| December 28, 2007
Title
The Role of Revision and Teacher Feedback in a Chinese College Context

Keywords: teacher feedback; revision; formal accuracy

Authors
Hong Li and Qingying Lin
College of Foreign Languages, Chongqing University, PR China

Bio Data
Hong Li is a Professor in the College of Foreign Languages, Chongqing University, PR China. She worked as a visiting scholar in the Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, from Sept. 2005 to May 2006, and she was a visiting colleague in the Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa from May 2006 to August 2006. She holds Ph.D. in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. She is currently teaching Second Language Acquisition and Psycholinguistics. Her primary research areas are cognitive factors in adult second and foreign language learning, lexical access and lexical acquisition for EFL learners. Other areas include methodologies, classroom interaction, teacher development and bilingualism.

Qingying Lin holds a master degree in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from Chongqing University, PR China. She is currently teaching English in Minjiang University. Her research areas include theories of second language learning and second language writing.

Abstract
This study investigated the impact of revision and teacher indirect feedback on the acquisition of the present unreal conditional in a Chinese EFL college classroom context. Four research questions were addressed in the current study: 1) Does revision produce a positive effect on the formal accuracy of the target form when Chinese EFL university students receive teacher feedback? 2) Do Chinese EFL university students who are asked to revise their writings outperform those who are NOT in the formal accuracy of the target form when their errors are underlined? 3) Does teacher feedback generate a positive effect in the formal accuracy of the target form when Chinese EFL university students are engaged in the process of revision? 4) Do Chinese EFL university students who receive teacher feedback outperform those who receive NO teacher feedback in the formal accuracy of the target form when they are required to revise their subsequent writings? Ninety-three college students participated in this study. They were divided into three groups: 1) the Revision Group; 2) the Feedback and Revision Group; and 3) the Feedback Group. Results of the study suggest a very positive role of revision combined with teacher indirect feedback in the Chinese EFL college context. Further, they clearly show that receiving teacher feedback without the engagement of revision tasks does not improve accuracy in such a classroom.
[private]

See pages 230-239

Download PDF

[/private]

Category: Main Editions, Volume 9 Issue 4