Computer Anxiety and Students' Preferred Feedback Methods in EFL Writing

Computer‐mediated instruction plays a significant role in foreign language education. The incorporation of computer technology into the classroom has also been accompanied by an increasing number of students who experience anxiety when interacting with computers. This study examined the effects of computer anxiety on students' choice of feedback methods and academic performance in English as a foreign language (EFL) writing. The study included 207 university‐level Japanese students in EFL writing classes, who received both face‐to‐face teacher feedback and online teacher and peer feedback while revising an essay writing assignment. The students were free to choose their preferred feedback method. The results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the students' choices of feedback method varied as a function of the level of their computer anxiety and that providing the choice of using or not using computers helped both high‐ and low‐anxiety students improve their essay writing. The findings reveal the importance of recognizing computer anxiety and creating a learning environment in which students who are highly computer anxious are not disadvantaged.