Timing of Corrective Feedback via WhatsApp: Perceptions of Modern Greek L2 Learners

Corrective feedback is essential in foreign language (L2) teaching and has been the subject of numerous studies. However, the factor of timing (i.e., when errors are addressed during the instructional process) has been little explored in both face-to-face and online contexts and will be the focus of this study, which takes place in the context of instant messaging (IM). The IM environment is particularly interesting as a tool for corrective feedback, as it allows attention to be given to language during the process of semi-spontaneous communication. The present study aims to investigate students' perceptions of the provision of corrective feedback via WhatsApp in two timing modalities: feedback provided during the task and after the task. More specifically, it explores the experience of an intact group of 10 adult learners of Modern Greek as an L2 in Barcelona (B1 level) who received a four-week instructional intervention via WhatsApp as an extension of their online course. The students participated in a series of communicative activities outside of class hours, for which they received corrective feedback in two modalities. Their perceptions of both were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The results showed a preference for feedback during the task and for a combination of both modalities. The study concludes by highlighting the pedagogical implications of corrective feedback in IM contexts.