The effect of game-based feedback on improving EFL learners' reading comprehension and raising autonomy

Abstract EN

As providing EFL students with corrective feedback ( CF) for their errors, the type of feedback employed, the nature of students, and the teachers' central role in the educational context have been controversial issues among educationalists, the present study aimed at investigating the effect of new appealing method of corrective feedback, namely, game based corrective feedback (G-CF) on changing the teachers' role from providers of knowledge into facilitators, and learners' passive role from teacher- dependent to autonomous students who are able to reach the answer themselves and contribute towards improving their reading comprehension skills.

The study sampled 60 university- female level students aging 17 to 19, studying English as a foreign language (EFL) at Prince Sattam bin Abdul Aziz University (SAU), Saudi Arabia.

The participants were divided into two homogeneous groups, that is one experimental and one control group.

The study investigated the effectiveness of G-CF on improving reading comprehension skills through pre-test, post-test.

Results indicated that the students who were exposed to G- CF outperformed the students who were provided with traditional methods of correction feedback by the teacher.

In addition, the study explored, through a checklist, students' rate of autonomy when receiving G- CF.

Positive results supported the notion that self-autonomy is an important part of the educational and achievement cycle.