Learner Uptake of Teacher Electronic Feedback in ESL Composition

Abstract

The research on electronic feedback in second language writing is scarce, despite the increasingly frequent use of computers in ESL writing classrooms. The current study's purpose is to determine (1) what types of electronic written feedback ESL learners receive on writing that has been submitted and returned electronically, and (2) the relationship between teacher feedback and uptake. Twelve ESL students and three teachers participated in this longitudinal study. Multiple drafts of two essays from two semesters of college-level first-year composition were analyzed. The findings show that most of the teachers' electronic feedback consisted of marginal comments that were, for the most part, directive, explicit, principled, systematic, and needs-based – much like handwritten feedback. Importantly, electronic feedback was successful at eliciting appropriate revisions of grammatical structures or surface-level features, but also content and organization. This suggests that electronic feedback can be effective and therefore should not be avoided.