Abstract

There has been an on-going debate on whether error feedback helps students to improve their grammatical accuracy from one draft to the other (Ferris, 1999; Truscott, 1996; 1999). Some studies found that error correction was effective (Ferris & Roberts, 2001) and others refuted this argument (Semke, 1984; Kepner, 1990). Their findings showed that feedback had no or non-significant effects on accuracy. According to previous research, one area which has not been properly studied is a comparison between groups receiving feedback and a no feedback group. Therefore, the present study investigated the effect of feedback on grammatical accuracy by comparing three types of feedback: errors coded, errors underlined, and no grammar feedback. The instruments included a pretest, a posttest and two treatments. Participants were first- year students in the English Literature and Language Department at Ain Shams University. Means and standard deviations were calculated. ANOVA and dependent t-tests were also used to analyze the data. Data analysis revealed no significant differences in the improvement of grammatical accuracy in the two treatment groups. It was however found that both treatment groups outperformed the no-feedback group in editing verb and noun-related errors. However, the control group outperformed the two other groups in correcting their article-related errors. The researcher concluded that even if students do not receive grammar feedback, their writing improves because of the rewriting process itself.

Degree Name

MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Graduation Date

6-1-2010

Submission Date

May 2010

First Advisor

Agameya, Amira

Second Advisor

Williams, Robert

Extent

NA

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Library of Congress Subject Heading 1

English language -- Grammar -- Study and teaching.

Rights

The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Not necessary for this item

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