The effects of mediation and corrective feedback on L2 writing development

Tuba Özturan; Hacer Hande Uysal

doi:10.21153/tesol2025vol34no2art2211

Authors

Tuba Özturan Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7099-0076
Hacer Hande Uysal Hacettepe University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21153/tesol2025vol34no2art2211

Keywords:

Mediation, dynamic assessment, correction, direct corrective feedback, L2 writing

Abstract

This study explored the effects of Mediation-based Feedback and Direct Corrective Feedback on the linguistic accuracy and rhetorical development of EFL university students’ writing. A quasi-experimental design involved two L2 writing classes (mediation group vs. correction group), each receiving feedback across three writing tasks: pre-test, post-test, and delayed post-test. The mediation group received dialogic, adaptive mediation aligned with learners’ Zones of Proximal Development, while the correction group received teacher-led direct corrections. Quantitative analyses revealed that the mediation group outperformed the correction group in linguistic accuracy, with statistically significant differences and a large effect size. Within-group comparisons showed that mediation led to moderate improvements in linguistic accuracy, while direct corrective feedback produced small yet meaningful gains. No significant between-group differences were found for rhetorical development; however, direct corrective feedback yielded sustained medium effect size gains, while the mediation group demonstrated initial progress that regressed over time. The study contributes to research on feedback by highlighting the benefits and limitations of mediation and correction in L2 writing development.

Note: This study is a part of the doctoral dissertation of the first author supervised by the second author.

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Author Biographies

Tuba Özturan, Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University

Tuba Özturan is an assistant professor at Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, in the Department of Translation and Interpretation. She received her master’s degree and Ph.D. in English Language Teaching from Hacettepe University. Her research interests lie in the areas of learning-oriented assessment, dynamic assessment, sociocultural theory, L2 writing, and computer-based testing.
Hacer Hande Uysal, Hacettepe University

Hacer Hande Uysal is a professor at Hacettepe University, the Department of Foreign Language Education. She received her master’s degree in English Education and her Ph.D. in Foreign Language and ESL Education from The University of Iowa, United States. Her research interests are second language writing, academic discourse, early language teaching, and language policies. She is the founder and the previous director of the Academic Writing & Research Center at Gazi University, and she served as the founding editor-in-chief in the Journal of Language Teaching and Learning for five years.