THE EFFECTS OF RECASTS ON INFORMAL WRITTEN DISCOURSE

Abstract

This study was concerned with students’ ability to self-monitor and self-correct in an informal setting. It investigated the effect of corrective feedback on learners who aren’t thinking that they’re learning. The researcher chose text chatting as a communication method since chatting more closely resembles a casual spoken exchange. In our study, an advanced level speaker held four one-hour sessions of chatting with non-native speakers, once a week over a period of one month, and provided recasts targeting a particular error type. Results showed that the communicative feedback seemed to have no impact on the target errors, and by implication, on written accuracy, in an informal setting. A number of reasons for their lack of efficacy were put forward.