Recast and Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback: Probing the Role of Practice Effect with Error Logs in Iranian EFL Learners’ Process Writing Ability

Abstract

The researchers in the current study aimed to explore the impact of metalinguistic corrective feedback and recasts on learners' process writing ability through virtual learning environment. To this aim, a total of 63 Iranian EFL learners were selected and arranged in four groups (metalinguistic feedback, metalinguistic + error logs, recasts, and recasts + error logs). To conduct the study, an expository writing task selected from IELTS task 1 was administered to all participants as the pretest. The treatment lasted for eight weeks, and then the process writing posttest was administered. The main focus of the writing task was process writing and passive voice was selected as the target structure. The topics for pretest and posttest were selected with a lot of care, so that they could lend themselves to process writing, and would evoke the use of passive structure. The data were analyzed via paired sample t-test, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and one-way ANOVA. Based on the findings, though all groups significantly improved from pre- to posttest, no significant difference was found among the four groups as a result of being exposed to four types of corrective feedback. The findings offer implications for university EFL learners, professors, and material developers.