ライティング活動における教師の文法的なフィードバックの効用 : 過去形の習得の場合

抄録

The effects of grammatical feedback from teachers on students' writing ability in second language (L2) learning have been examined by a number of researchers. Some studies have elicited heated discussion, including Truscott's (1996) assertion that feedback from teachers has negative consequences. Although no concrete conclusion on the efficacy of feedback from teachers has been drawn, many studies have suggested that feedback seems to have at least some positive effects on L2 learning (Chandler, 2003; Ellis, Sheen, Murakami, & Takashima, 2008; Ferris, 2006; Sachs & Polio, 2007; Sheppard, 1992). The current study examines how teacher's grammatical feedback improves L2 writing ability (in terms of correct verb tense use) and how students themselves feel about the feedback they receive from teachers. Participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group, in which participants received teacher's feedback; and a control group, in which participants received no feedback. The result of ANOVA shows that the time-group interaction is significant. This suggests that participants in the experimental group show better improvements in learning the correct use of verb tense. A questionnaire administered at the end of the study period revealed that the participants in general appreciated feedback on their writing and felt that the teacher's comments were "helpful." These results suggest that teachers' feedback facilitates L2 learning and does not negatively affect students' motivation to write. Therefore, teachers should be encouraged to provide students with proper grammatical feedback on their writing in L2 classes.