The Effect of Coded Feedback on Korean EFL Learners' Ability to Use Grammatical Forms Accurately

This study investigated the effect of indirect coded corrective feedback on intermediate-level Korean EFL learners' ability to use L2 grammatical forms accurately. Thirty-nine college students in an intact classroom were divided into three groups: a coded correction group, a direct correction group, and a content feedback group. The coded group received feedback using error codes on three grammatical forms: articles, prepositions, and verb tenses. The direct group received overt corrections on the same forms. The content group received feedback only on content and discourse structure. They had written a total of eight essays for twelve weeks, among which four were selected for analysis. The study found that all the three groups showed a significant improvement in accuracy as a function of time and that the effect of direct correction lasted longer than the other two types of feedback. Furthermore, self-correction triggered by coded feedback promoted the learners' noticing of the forms in focus. When learners successfully noticed the forms, they were more likely to uptake and retain them. This result corroborates the facilitative role of conscious attention to form in the development of accuracy. Finally, although the students' accuracy had actually been enhanced, their perception of corrective feedback had become more negative over time. One possible explanation was drawn from the fact that there was a substantial gap between what the subejcts believed to be most important in L2 writing (i.e., accuracy) and what they believed had been cultivated in their own writing (i.e., fluency).