Is negative feedback effective for L2 acquisition

Abstract

Although positive evidence is widely accepted to be the primary source of L2 development, it is controversial whether negative feedback has a facilitative role in L2 development (Leeman, 2003). To see whether negative feedback is effective for L2 morphosyntactic and vocabulary acquisition, this study examines two L2 learners’ interactions with a native speaker through Internet chat for seven months. The data reveal that (1) negative feedback existed in NS-NNS chat interactions; about 24% of the NNS error turns received negative feedback from the NS interlocutor, (2) negative feedback was provided both in explicit and implicit forms: recasts and explicit correction were the two types that occurred most frequently, (3) the negative feedback provided enabled one participant to develop knowledge of English morphosyntax and both of the participants to develop English vocabulary. These results suggest that negative feedback can facilitate their L2 acquisition.