Feedback, Noticing And L2 Development

The present study investigates the effects of different types of corrective feedback on second language acquisition in relation to learner noticing. Taking the Interaction Hypothesis (Long, 1996) as its theoretical framework, which claims that it is during interaction that input, feedback, output and learner noticing combine to drive second language acquisition forward, this study addresses the following issues: (1) the overall comparative effects of explicit correction, recasts and clarification requests on second language development, (2) the relationship between feedback types and learners'noticing, (3) the effect of learners'nociting of corrective feedback on their subsequent second language development, and (4) the role of the componential elements of recasts and clarification requests in second language development.While a large volume of studies have been done on corrective feedback, there are still gaps in this research scope. First, feedback types involved are categorically inconsistent and limited in number. Explicit correction and prompts are relatively underexplored. Second, the effects of corrective feedback are not differentiated from other instructional strategies due to combined provision of the two. Third, the componential features of feedback have not been fully explored in the account of the source of feedback effect on L2 learning. Fourth, the effects of corrective feedback on L2 development of more complex morphosyntactic items are yet to be investigated, as the linguistic items included in the studies to date have been mostly simple items. Lastly, studies on the relationship between learners'noticing of corrective feedback and L2 development using more direct measures to collect qualitative noticing data are relatively insufficient. Besides, learners'noticing of clarification requests and subquent L2 development suffers a severe lack of investigation, warranting more studies for a better understanding of the link between feedback, noticing and L2 development.The research questions to be investigated in the present study are as follows:RQ1: What is the relative effect of explicit correction, recasts and clarification requests in general?RQ2: Do learners report noticing of the intent of recasts provided during conversational interaction? Do learners report noticing of the intent of clarification requests provided during conversational interaction?RQ3: Which of the two types of implicit feedback, namely, recasts and clarification requests leads to more noticing?RQ4: Is there a relationship between noticing of feedback and L2 development?RQ5: What is the relative effect of input-providing feedback (recasts) and output-prompting feedback (clarification requests) on L2 development in the case of noticing?By addressing the research questions, the present study endeavors to fill the aforementioned gaps. Comparisons of the effect of the three feedback types are made in terms of explicitness/implicitness distinction. The effect of the two types of implicit feedback (recasts and clarification requests) are then explored in relation to learner noticing by a qualitative measure of noticing, the stimulated recall protocal (Gass & Mackey, 2000). The present study also tackles the multi-faceted features of corrective feedback as a complex phenomenon by defining recasts as input-providing feedback and clarification requests as output-prompting feedback. The developmental value of input element in recasts and output elements in clarification requests are then further explored in the case where both types of feedback are noticed by the learners. In assessing the learners'L2 development the present study chooses as its target linguistic item past hypothetical conditionals in English, a cognitively and syntactically complex structure, also deemed as the difficult structure for Chinese EFL learners.The present study adopted a pretest-posttest design. 73 college EFL learners at the intermediate level were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions (explicit correction, recasts, clarification requests and control) and carried out the task-based conversational interactions with the researcher in group work, during which corrective feedback was provided to the learners in the treatment groups upon their non-targetlike production of the target structure. L2 development was operationalized as increased targetlike production of the target structure and assessed by cued oral and written production in the immediate and delayed posttests. The learners'noticing of the two types of implicit feedback was operationalized as verbal stimulated recall report indicating their awareness of being corrected on the target structure.The present study found a significantly greater effect for explicit correction over recasts and clarification requests on short-term and long-term development of all clause categories of the target item. Recasts are effective in short term, whereas clarification requests have delayed effect. A similar pattern was also found for the effect of noticing of recasts and of clarification requests on L2 development. The study also found that clarification requests led to a higher rate of learner noticing than did recasts, although the difference between the two were not statistically significant. In the case where learners'noticing of the two implicit feedback occurred, the input-providing feedback (recasts) was found to be more effective than the output-prompting feedback (clarification requests) on the immediate incoporation of the targetlike form, whereas the effect for the output-prompting feedback took time to emerge on just one part of the target structure.The findings of the present study point to the significant role of explicitness of feedback in facilitating L2 development on complex structure. It is also suggested that the effectiveness of implicit corrective feedback is mediated by learners'noticing, which in turn is constrained by a number of learner- internal and external factors (e.g., cognitive capacity, learning context, type of feedback, operationalization of feedback, and complexity of the target form). The present study also lends empirical support for the Output Hypothesis, particularly for the noticing and metalinguistic functions of output. The differential effectiveness of input element and output element of the two implicit feedback in the case of learner noticing can be attributed to the modulation by learners'cognitive process, depth of processing, and the learners'prior L2 knowledge.The present study provides a fine-grained picture of corrective feedback within the theoretical framework of Interaction Hypothesis. It investigates the effects of different types of corrective feedback in a multifaceted fashion, taking into account the multiple features of feedback and the constraining factors. In doing so, it not only extends our knowledge of corrective feedback but also enriches the relevant theories, hence providing pedagogical implications that will hopefully feed into interaction-driven second language learning and teaching.