A Study of Consciousness-Raising by Computer: The Effect of Metalinguistic Feedback on Second Language Learning

The computer can serve as a consciousness-raiser by highlighting and correcting students' errors and giving explanatory feedback. In the past, computer feedback was limited to simple error messages that did not tell the learner much more than that he or she was wrong and should try again. Natural language processing, however, allows the computer to actually parse student responses grammatically and to provide feedback that is more detailed and informative than was formerly possible. The study investigates the effectiveness of two types of computer feedback: one is traditional computer feedback that indicates only missing or unexpected words in the learner's response, and the other is intelligent computer feedback that provides further information about the nature of the errors in the form of metalinguistic rules. The study found that intelligent computer feedback is more effective than traditional computer feedback for improving the learners' grammatical proficiency in the use of complex structures of the target language. The study supports the value of metalinguistic instruction by computer.

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