Written Corrective Feedback and Writing Anxiety in L2 Acquisition

This study examines whether L2 writing anxiety mediates the efficacy of written corrective feedback (CF) in the acquisition of English article functions. For this purpose, three different types of written CF (i.e., indirect, direct, and metalinguistic CF) were identified and a L2 writing anxiety scale was employed to separate its high from low level. An experiment was carried out in which 135 EFL students formed six experimental and two control groups. The experimental groups were distinguished in terms of their anxiety level and type of written CF they received. The control groups did not receive any written CF and only differed in their anxiety level. The students engaged in three narrative writing tasks and completed pretests, immediate posttests, and delayed posttests to measure their knowledge of English article usage. Results revealed that there was a mediating effect of L2 writing anxiety. However, it was limited as L2 writing anxiety only mediated the efficacy of indirect CF. The findings suggest that L2 writing anxiety and, by extension, L2 learner difference factors should be taken as a potentially significant component in research on and implementation of written CF.