The surge in popularity of written corrective feedback (WCF) within ESL and EFL settings has been notable in recent years. However, a neglected facet of this common practice pertains to the antecedents of students’ opinions and preferences regarding this widespread instructional strategy due to the ongoing debates concerning its long-term effectiveness. This study employed quantitative methodology to investigate the WCF preferences and personality traits of EFL learners and addressed a research gap by examining the potential relationship between these two variables since limited research delved into the role that learner-related factors play in shaping students’ WCF preferences. Participants included 371 English-major students at a Turkish state university. Findings revealed a preference for unfocused, teacher-initiated, metalinguistic feedback with specific and detailed comments on content and organization, marked in red ink. Students’ inclination towards direct and indirect feedback types was neutral. Openness to experience was found to be the dominant personality trait, while extraversion was the least prevalent. Notably, four statistically significant associations were found between certain personality traits, including extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness, and the scope, source, and perceived impact of WCF. These results highlight the need for customized error treatment approaches in writing classes to increase the efficacy of feedback strategies.
Daşer et al. (Sun,) studied this question.