Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning: Interactive Whiteboard-Mediated vs. Paper-Based Corrective Feedback

This study sought to probe the efficacy of interactive whiteboard-mediated corrective feedback versus conventional corrective feedback for Iranian EFL learners’ target language vocabulary development. To this end, a sample of 80 EFL learners at the intermediate proficiency level was selected based on scores obtained from a language proficiency test. The participants were then randomly divided into three groups: two experimental and one control. The first experimental group (n = 30) was taught the target vocabulary items while receiving interactive whiteboard-mediated corrective feedback, and the second experimental group (n = 25) was taught the target vocabulary items while receiving conventional corrective feedback; the control group was taught the target words receiving no feedback of either kind. The ANOVA test results indicated that conventional corrective feedback slightly improved target vocabulary learning by the participants. Interactive whiteboard-mediated corrective feedback, however, proved to be significantly effective in this respect. The findings can be said to provide innovative insights into the area of CALL and new techniques in L2 pedagogy.