Effect of Video Feedback on ESL Learners’ Paragraph Writing in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Writing and the provision of feedback in ESL classrooms are essential components. With the continuous evolution of technology, the methods of feedback have also differed and advanced. Studies have been carried out to see the effectiveness of different feedback methods for writing. Considering the dearth of research in exploring the pedagogical and practical appropriateness of video feedback for ESL writings in Sri Lanka, the present study intends to examine the impact of video feedback in ESL undergraduates’ paragraph writing and whether the learners who receive video feedback incorporate higher levels of correction into their written work compared to learners who receive written feedback. For this, an experimental quantitative research design was used. The empirical data for the study was gathered through the comparison of 20 participants’ multiple drafts of writing paragraphs over a five weeks period. Written feedback was delivered in the form of end notes and side notes in participants’ writings itself and video feedback was delivered in the form of videos using Screencast-O-Matic screen capture recorder. The results expressed that the participants in the experimental group incorporated higher levels of correction into their proceeding drafts from two respective video feedbacks more than the participants in the control group who received two written feedbacks in two writings. The findings retrieved manifest that video feedback is a worthwhile practice in ESL writing. Hence, the requirement for more research to recognize cause and effect relationships of video feedback is highlighted in the present study.