VIETTESOL INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION 2025

Abstract
This study investigates Vietnamese EFL students’ preferences for various types of written corrective feedback (WCF) and examines the extent to which these preferences are influenced by learners’ English proficiency levels. Drawing on data from 147 university-level English majors across three proficiency bands, the research utilized a structured questionnaire—based on an adapted version of Ellis’s (2009) typology—followed by semi-structured interviews for qualitative insight. Findings reveal a strong overall preference for explicit feedback types, particularly metalinguistic feedback with explanation, followed by direct and electronic feedback. While some variation was observed in attitudes toward less preferred techniques such as uncoded indirect or coded metalinguistic feedback, statistical analysis showed only modest differences across proficiency levels. These results suggest that WCF preferences may be more closely tied to factors such as classroom norms, instructional culture, and learners’ feedback literacy than to language proficiency alone. Notably, even lower-proficiency students favored comprehensive correction, raising important questions about cognitive load, instructional expectations, and the influence of exam-oriented educational contexts. By foregrounding learner perspectives, this study calls for more context-sensitive and pedagogically aligned feedback practices. It also highlights the need for greater attention to the cognitive and cultural dimensions of feedback uptake. Future research is encouraged to explore how individual beliefs, prior experiences, and task complexity interact with WCF engagement in EFL writing classrooms.
Keywords: written corrective feedback, students’ preferences, EFL writing, proficiency level, feedback literacy