Comparison of conventional and online corrective feedback in EFL writing

The rapid dissemination of computer and Internet use has brought about noticable changes in many fields and even in life itself. Language education is a place where we can apply the upsides of this change. Internet usage, which is not limited to computers, is seen in every area of life with many devices such as smartphones and tablets. In fact, the use of new forms and jargon in speech and writing language is instrumental in our lives. This study aims to examine the effects of technology and Internet usage on writing ability that affects our daily life. In this study, participants, all tertiary level students, performed writing tasks on two different platforms: conventional and computer-based. Similarly, the instructor provided conventional and computer-based feedback to participants regarding idiosyncrasies in the writing tasks. Following the feedback, errors produced in texts rendered via the two platforms were compared in terms of nature and frequency. This process was repeated three times: at the beginning, mid and end of the spring term of the 2016 academic year. The participants who created the texts in a computer environment were asked to submit their texts electronically and thus received feedback through the same method; and when they submitted their tasks conventionally, the feedback reached them in the same manner. Before the initiation of the process, the participants were introduced to error correction symbols employed by the instructor to facilitate understanding of modified language material. The results which were obtained after this process was repeated three times in both platforms (conventional and online) were compared in terms of the number of errors on both platforms, the types of errors and the correction of errors according to thefeedback given. Students' opinions and evaluations about the process were examined. The findings of the study showed that online feedback was more effective in terms of error correction rate than conventional feedback regarding nature and frequency of errors. Besides, the informal interviews conducted with participants illustrated that participants held positive views towards online writing and online corrective feedback. Keywords: feedback, conventional corrective feedback, online corrective feedback, English as foreign language, English writing.