Pixel International Conferences

The Impact of Recasts Vs. Computer-Mediated Corrective Feedback on EFL Learners’ Affective Variables in On-line Classes

Nahid Zarei

Department of English, Maragheh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Maragheh

Iran

[email protected]; [email protected]

The issue of feedback has been a controversial and much disputed subject within the field of foreign language learning and teaching because not only does the type of feedback affect learning outcome but it also impacts learners’ emotional states especially in a foreign language classroom. As one of the recent modes of delivery, computer-mediated instruction has posed new challenges in instruction in view of the fact that it has affected the presentation and interaction pattern with the teaching tools available synchronously and asynchronously. However, relatively few studies have compared the effectiveness of various types of oral feedback provided in on-line classes. To address this gap, this study compares the effects of recasts versus computer-mediated oral feedback on the affective variables of EFL learners. To this end, 40 intermediate learners with the age range of 15-21 from a popular language school were selected. The participants were from two intact on-line classes with 20 students in each who were randomly assigned to two methods of feedback. One of the classes received recasts on pronunciation mistakes and the other one was corrected using google dictionary box. A questionnaire on affective variables (anxiety, attitude, motivation, and self-confidence) was administered at the end of the course to evaluate the impact of the two methods on these variables. The data was analyzed using Mann-Whitney and Wilcoxon. The results revealed that there was a significant difference between the two methods of corrective feedback (≤.0.5). In other words, providing oral feedback through google dictionary box in comparison to recasts had a positive effect on alleviating the learners’ anxiety and enhancing positive attitude, motivation and self-confidence in on-line classes. These results shed a light on the effectiveness of affordances provided by computers, and they also suggest how EFL teachers can use these tools to create positive emotional states in their learners.

Keywords: Computer-mediated, Recast, Google dictionary box, Corrective feedback