The Effect of Recast vs. Clarification Request as Two Types of Corrective Feedback on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners Structural Knowledge

The present study, considering Form-Focused Instruction as the theoretical framework f the study, is an attempt to study the benefits of two types of teacher feedback in structural knowledge. In the current study, in the two experimental groups, students were taught syntactic items. One of these classes was offered recast as the main feedback type. The other groups offered clarification request feedback. Later the outcome of these groups compared to one another and to the control group who did receive no feedback on their structural knowledge errors. The participants in this study included three groups of Intermediate level English language learners from intact classes of Marefat Language Institute. The selected students were sampled based on their scores on PET proficiency test. In the main study 90 students (30 students in clarification request group, 30 students in oral feedback group, and 30 students in the control group) were selected out of 120 students based on the homogeneity test. Students in the clarification request group and oral feedback group received the related treatment while students in the control group received regular planning. The result of statistical analysis (ANOVA) suggested that recast group and clarification request group outperformed the control group and the clarification group outperformed the recast group.