Kurdish EFL Learners’ Perceptions towards Written Corrective Feedback and Its Types: An Investigative Study

Written Corrective Feedback has been one of the most controversial topics (Waller, 2015), and it has been researched extensively. Still, the lack of research among Kurdish EFL learners made it necessary to conduct the current research. This study focuses on investigating learners’ perceptions of written corrective feedback and its types. It attempts to answer what the Kurdish EFL learners’ perceptions of written corrective feedback are, and what types of written corrective feedback among Kurdish Learners are preferred. Answering these questions is significant as the results can be used by both teachers and learners to improve learners’ writing accuracy. A survey questionnaire was distributed to collect data. After analyzing data, the results reveal that most Kurdish EFL participants were not fully aware of WCF and its effectiveness as a learning tool. However, they still expected their writing teachers to provide them with WCF in writing tasks. Also, the results indicate that Kurdish EFL learners preferred two types of WCF: explicit and implicit WCF. Hence, the results have many pedagogical implications for writing teachers and learners. Firstly, it shows how EFL learners from other countries and contexts perceive WCF, and secondly, results encourage writing teachers to give more attention and value to WCF.

Remote Neuropsychological Intervention for Developmental Dyslexia with the Tachidino Platform: No Reduction in Effectiveness for Older Nor for More Severely Impaired Children

Tachidino is a web-platform for remote treatment of reading and writing disorders. A total of 91 children with developmental dyslexia and/or dysorthographia participated in the present study and received Tachidino treatment. The purpose of the study was to compare results obtained after four weeks treatment and a six-month follow-up in older versus younger children and in more versus less severely impaired children (separately subdividing them according to reading speed, reading accuracy, and writing accuracy). The results showed no difference in improvement for reading accuracy and speed in the three age groups, but children below 9 years improved more than older children in writing accuracy. Regarding severity groups, children with more severe initial impairments improved more than children with less severe impairments. Additionally, the results were confirmed after controlling for spurious effects due to use of Z-scores and regression to the mean. The findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Kurdish EFL Learners’ Perceptions towards Written Corrective Feedback and Its Types: An Investigative Study

Written Corrective Feedback has been one of the most controversial topics (Waller, 2015), and it has been researched extensively. Still, the lack of research among Kurdish EFL learners made it necessary to conduct the current research. This study focuses on investigating learners’ perceptions of written corrective feedback and its types. It attempts to answer what the Kurdish EFL learners’ perceptions of written corrective feedback are, and what types of written corrective feedback among Kurdish Learners are preferred. Answering these questions is significant as the results can be used by both teachers and learners to improve learners’ writing accuracy. A survey questionnaire was distributed to collect data. After analyzing data, the results reveal that most Kurdish EFL participants were not fully aware of WCF and its effectiveness as a learning tool. However, they still expected their writing teachers to provide them with WCF in writing tasks. Also, the results indicate that Kurdish EFL learners preferred two types of WCF: explicit and implicit WCF. Hence, the results have many pedagogical implications for writing teachers and learners. Firstly, it shows how EFL learners from other countries and contexts perceive WCF, and secondly, results encourage writing teachers to give more attention and value to WCF.

The Effects of Collaborative Writing to Learners’ Text in terms of Writing Accuracy from Sociocultural Theory Perspective

Collaborative Writing (CW) has stimulated scholars for years in order to shed light on the effects of this kind of activity, and in terms of writing fluency, some researchers succeeded in stating that writing in groups affects the quality of learners' texts. Nevertheless, the previous studies have not provided fully spotlight on the field of utilizing grammar and vocabulary correctly when students compose text with peers. The purpose of this study was to review the effects of CW to the learners’ work in terms of accuracy from the perspective of Sociocultural Theory (SCT).

The Effect of Flow Mind Map on Writing Accuracy and Learning Motivation at Islamic Higher Education

The investigation attempted to explore the influence of flow mind map on writing accuracy and learning motivation at Islamic Higher Education. There were two variables: flow mind map as a predictor variable; writing accuracy and learning motivation as the outcome variables. The study involved L2 participants at higher education in Kalimantan. The participants was 37 students, consisting of two groups: experiment class and control class. A main effect of one way Anova was used to measure an effect of flow mind map on learners’ writing score and learning motivation. The finding revealed that the value of writing accuracy at F (1,36) = 44.861, SS 3591.045, MS= 3591.045, p= 0.000; and the value of learning motivation at F (1,36) = 40.925, SS 2006.600, MS= 2006.600, p= 0.000. The significance value was below 0.050, meaning there was a statistically difference in the mean of using flow mind map on learners’ writing accuracy and learning motivation. It was recommended that language instructor motivate learners during the learning process. Due to the limited number of sample size, the further investigations with broader scope and larger sample size were needed to validate the research findings.

EXPLORING UNDERGRADUATE EFL LEARNERS’ BELIEFS ABOUT WCF AND THEIR IMPACT ON IMPROVING WRITING SKILLS IN PAKISTANI UNIVERSITIES

Purpose of the study: This study aims to explore students’ beliefs, which play a vital role in learning a foreign language. The present study investigated this important factor on undergraduate EFL students at Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering & IT, Rhaimyar Khan, Pakistan. Methodology: The study is quasi-experimental and used questionnaires and interviews. Students were divided into two groups: treatment and control groups. Writing accuracy for the pre and two post-delayed tests were checked and statistically analyzed on SPSS. Different repeated measures ANOVA tests were used. Main Findings: Main findings of this study revealed that there were marginal differences in the beliefs of the students from urban and rural areas. Findings also showed that types of the written CF which are the most effective were different according to their beliefs. Besides, beliefs about written CF were also found to impact students' writing accuracy significantly. Students in the control group showed significant accuracy in writing compared to the students in the control group. Applications of this study: The present study will be useful for constructing university students’ existing beliefs about written CF and practices with respect to learning English as a foreign language. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study's most significant research contribution regarding language learning beliefs is that it probes the extent to which differences of beliefs may impact students' development of writing accuracy after they received written CF. As no earlier studies could investigate this issue; hence, this study has attempted to fill an important research gap.