ESL/EFL teachers' responses to selected writing errors of Japanese advanced EFL learners: Effects of linguistic and extralinguistic factors on error perception

The purpose of this study was to investigate how selected grammatical errors in formal versus informal writing are perceived by teachers of different backgrounds. Three groups of teachers were recruited: American ESL teachers teaching in the US, American EFL teachers teaching in Japan, and Japanese EFL teachers. They were asked to read two writing samples of different levels of register created by Japanese advanced EFL learners. The samples contained eight identical types of grammatical errors. Their tasks were threefold: to identify errors, to correct them, and to rate the seriousness of errors on five-point scales. The dependent variables were detection of selected grammatical errors in each writing sample and their evaluation as rated by the teachers. The independent variables were one linguistic factor and three extralinguistic factors. The former was different error types (eight alternatives). The latter were register (formal versus informal writing), teachers' first language (English versus Japanese), and American teachers' extent of exposure to the English interlanguage of Japanese EFL/ESL learners and their culture (living in the US versus living in Japan).;The results showed that the two American teacher groups used a wider range of the evaluation scale in judging the eight types of grammatical errors in a formal context than in an informal context. The American teachers living in the US operated on a three-level scale, and the American teachers living in Japan operated on a two-level scale when evaluating errors in a formal context. In the informal context, however, both groups treated all eight errors as equal in acceptability. In contrast, the Japanese teacher group evaluated the eight error types in both contexts with almost the same range of ratings.;Global errors were judged significantly lower by Japanese teachers than by one or both of the two American teacher groups. No significant difference was found in the perception of local errors in either context by three teacher groups.;These findings suggest that Japanese teachers need to recognize that a higher linguistic standard is expected in formal writing. Another suggestion is that the global/local distinction should be incorporated into EFL writing courses for advanced learners.