Enhancing English Writing Skills through Sequential Integration of Indirect and Direct Feedback

The distinct impacts of direct and indirect written corrective feedback (WCF) on writing skills have been extensively explored in English as a foreign language (EFL) teaching, yielding mixed results. Prior research has underscored the suitability of indirect WCF for students with high English proficiency, leaving the benefits for low-proficiency students under-researched. This case study examined the effect of sequentially integrating indirect and direct WCF on the EFL writing skills of students with low English proficiency, with a particular focus on their reflections on indirect WCF. Participants were 18 beginner (A1) level EFL students at a university in Türkiye. Over seven weeks, they wrote an initial paragraph, revised it into a second draft using indirect WCF, and finalized it through direct WCF each week. Statistical analysis of first- and second-draft scores revealed significant within-week increases, indicating improvement across successive drafts each week. Content analysis of reflection reports and stimulated recall interviews revealed that students benefited from indirect WCF, particularly correction symbols, as part of this process. Therefore, the results provided classroom-based evidence for the potential of a two-phase feedback cycle for low-proficiency learners, with indirect WCF as the primary intervention and direct WCF as a supplement.