Although previous studies have examined the effects of context on students’ emotional responses to second language (L2) feedback, very few have explored how teachers can proactively intervene in these emotions through different feedback types. This quantitative study examines English as a foreign language (EFL) learners’ emotional responses to direct and indirect written corrective feedback (WCF) in L2 writing, and whether the feedback context influences the link between these emotional responses and the subsequent revision behavior. The results indicated that direct WCF made students more contented and less anxious than indirect WCF. Under the direct WCF condition, emotions seemed to exert a marginal influence on students’ revision rates, whereas under the indirect WCF condition, contentment led to higher revision rates. This distinct pattern across contexts showed that the link between emotions and revision behavior varied depending on whether feedback was provided directly or indirectly. These findings revealed that contextual factors, such as feedback types, could affect students’ emotional responses and the relationship between emotions and revision. Therefore, it is suggested that future studies in the field of instructed second language acquisition continue to explore the interplay among feedback context, emotional responses, and learning, to enable teachers to manage students’ emotions more productively.
BitchenerJ.KnochU. (2009). The relative effectiveness of different types of direct written corrective feedback. System, 37(2), 322–329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.12.006
3.
BoudD.MolloyE. (2013). Rethinking models of feedback for learning: The challenge of design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), 698–712. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2012.691462
ChengX.LiuY. (2022). Student engagement with teacher written feedback: Insights from low-proficiency and high-proficiency L2 learners. System, 109, 102880. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102880
6.
CordaroD. T.BaiY.BradleyC. M.ZhuF.HanR.KeltnerD.GatchpazianA.ZhaoY. (2024). Contentment and self-acceptance: Wellbeing beyond happiness. Journal of Happiness Studies, 25(1–2), 15. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-024-00729-8
7.
DawsonP.HendersonM.MahoneyP.PhillipsM.RyanT.BoudD.MolloyE. (2019). What makes for effective feedback: Staff and student perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1467877
8.
DewaeleJ. M.LiC. (2020). Emotions in second language acquisition: A critical review and research agenda. Foreign Language World, 196(1), 34–49. https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/32797/
9.
DirkxJ. M. (2001). The power of feelings: Emotion, imagination, and the construction of meaning in adult learning. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2001(89), 63. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.9
10.
EkanayakaW. I.EllisR. (2020). Does asking learners to revise add to the effect of written corrective feedback on L2 acquisition?System, 94, 102341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102341
EllisR. (2010). Epilogue: A framework for investigating oral and written corrective feedback. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(2), 335–349. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0272263109990544
13.
EllisR.SheenY.MurakamiM.TakashimaH. (2008). The effects of focused and unfocused written corrective feedback in an English as a foreign language context. System, 36(3), 353–371. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.02.001
14.
FerrisD. (2004). The “Grammar Correction” debate in L2 writing: Where are we, and where do we go from here? (and what do we do in the meantime . . .?). Journal of Second Language Writing, 13(1), 49–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2004.04.005
15.
FerrisD.RobertsB. (2001). Error feedback in L2 writing classes: How explicit does it need to be?Journal of Second Language Writing, 10(3), 161–184.
16.
FieldA. (2020). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
17.
FongC.SchallertD. (2023). “Feedback to the future”: Advancing motivational and emotional perspectives in feedback research. Educational Psychologist, 58(3), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520.2022.2134135
FredricksonB. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218.
20.
GableP.Harmon-JonesE. (2010). The motivational dimensional model of affect: Implications for breadth of attention, memory, and cognitive categorisation. Cognition and Emotion, 24(2), 322–337.
21.
GengF.YuS. (2024). Exploring doctoral students’ emotions in feedback on academic writing: A critical incident perspective. Studies in Continuing Education, 46(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/0158037x.2022.2109616
22.
GoetzT.BiegM. (2016). Academic emotions and their regulation via emotional intelligence. In LipnevichA.PreckelF.RobertsR. (Eds.), Psychosocial skills and school systems in the 21st century (pp. 279–298). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28606-8_11
23.
GoetzT.PekrunR.HallN.HaagL. (2006). Academic emotions from a social-cognitive perspective: Antecedents and domain specificity of students’ affect in the context of Latin instruction. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76(2), 289–308. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709905x42860
24.
HanY.HylandF. (2015). Exploring learner engagement with written corrective feedback in a Chinese tertiary EFL classroom. Journal of Second Language Writing, 30, 31–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.08.002
25.
HanY.HylandF. (2019). Academic emotions in written corrective feedback situations. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 38, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeap.2018.12.003
26.
HanY.XuY. (2020). 积极心理学视角下二语写作学习的情绪体验及情绪调节策略研究——以书面纠正性反馈为例 [Emotional experiences and emotion regulation strategies in second language writing classrooms from the perspective of positive psychology: What can we learn from written corrective feedback situations?]. Foreign Language World, 1, 50–59. https://doi.org/10.26971/j.cnki.flw.1004-5112.2020.01.006
27.
HattieJ. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.
HedgcockJ.LefkowitzN. (1994). Feedback on feedback: Assessing learner receptivity to teacher response in L2 composing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 3(2), 141–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/1060-3743(94)90012-4
30.
HillJ.BerlinK.ChoateJ.Cravens-BrownL.McKendrick-CalderL.SmithS. (2021). Exploring the emotional responses of undergraduate students to assessment feedback: Implications for instructors. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 9(1), 294–316. https://doi.org/10.20343/teachlearninqu.9.1.20
31.
HylandK.HylandF. (2019). Contexts and issues in feedback on L2 writing. In HylandK.HylandF. (Eds.), Feedback in second language writing: Contexts and issues (pp. 1–22). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108635547.003
32.
KarimK.NassajiH. (2020). The revision and transfer effects of direct and indirect comprehensive corrective feedback on ESL students’ writing. Language Teaching Research, 24(4), 519–539. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168818802469
33.
KimY.ChoiB.KangS.KimB.YunH. (2020). Comparing the effects of direct and indirect synchronous written corrective feedback: Learning outcomes and students’ perceptions. Foreign Language Annals, 53(1), 176–199. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12443
34.
KrukM.KałużnaA. (2024). Investigating the role of AI tools in enhancing translation skills, Emotional experiences, and motivation in L2 learning. European Journal of Education, 60(1), e12859. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12859
35.
LeeI. (2005). Error correction in the L2 writing classroom: What do students think?TESL Canada Journal, 22(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v22i2.84
36.
LeeI. (2008). Understanding teachers’ written feedback practices in Hong Kong secondary classrooms. Journal of Second Language Writing, 17(2), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2007.10.001
LiC. (2021). A control–value theory approach to boredom in English classes among university students in China. The Modern Language Journal, 105(1), 317–334. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12693
LiuC.YuS. (2022). Exploring master’s students’ emotions and emotion-regulation in supervisory feedback situations: A vignette-based study. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 47(7), 1101–1115. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.2005770
41.
LiuQ.BrownD. (2015). Methodological synthesis of research on the effectiveness of corrective feedback in L2 writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 30, 66–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2015.08.011
42.
LiuR.XinP. (2025). Self-imposed pressure or joyful learning: Emotions of Chinese as a foreign language learners in feedback on academic writing. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1463488. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1463488
43.
LongZ.ZhuR. (2025). A latent profile analysis of emotional intelligence and its relationship with L2 student writing feedback literacy. System, 133, 103773–103773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103773
44.
LovakovA.AgadullinaE. R. (2021). Empirically derived guidelines for effect size interpretation in social psychology. European Journal of Social Psychology, 51(3), 485–504.
45.
MahfoodhO. H. A. (2016). “I feel disappointed”: EFL university students’ emotional responses towards teacher written feedback. Assessing Writing, 31, 53–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2016.07.001
46.
MahfoodhO. H. A.PandianA. (2011). A qualitative case study of EFL students’ affective reactions to and perceptions of their teachers’ written feedback. English Language Teaching, 4(3), 14–25. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n3p14
47.
MaoZ.LeeI.LiS. (2024). Written corrective feedback in second language writing: A synthesis of naturalistic classroom studies. Language Teaching, 57(4), 449–477. https://doi:10.1017/S0261444823000393
48.
MarkeyA.LoewensteinG. (2014). Curiosity. In Linnenbrink-GarciaL.PekrunR. (Eds.), International handbook of emotions in education (pp. 228–245). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203148211
49.
McClellandG. H.JuddC. M. (1993). Statistical difficulties of detecting interactions and moderator effects. Psychological Bulletin, 114(2), 376–390.
50.
MercerM. J.GulserenD. B. (2023). When negative feedback harms: A systematic review of the unintended consequences of negative feedback on psychological, attitudinal, and behavioral responses. Studies in Higher Education, 49(4), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2248490
51.
MullinerE.TuckerM. (2017). Feedback on feedback practice: Perceptions of students and academics. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 266–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1103365
52.
NiF.XuW. (2025). How do English proficiency and learning motivation shape EFL students’ emotions toward written corrective feedback?System, 131, 103681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2025.103681
53.
PanJ.ChenH.YuanS. (2023). A comparative study of the engagement with written corrective feedback of Chinese private college students. Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education, 8(1), 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-023-00191-8
54.
PekrunR. (2006). The control-value theory of achievement emotions: Assumptions, corollaries, and implications for educational research and practice. Educational Psychology Review, 18(4), 315–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9029-9
55.
PekrunR.GoetzT.TitzT.PerryR. P. (2002a). Positive emotions in education. In FrydenbergE. (Ed.), Beyond coping: Meeting goals, visions, and challenges (pp. 149–173). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/med:psych/9780198508144.003.0008
56.
PekrunR.GoetzT.TitzW.PerryR. P. (2002b). Academic emotions in students’ self-regulated learning and achievement: A program of qualitative and quantitative research. Educational Psychologist, 37(2), 91–105. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep3702_4
57.
PekrunR.Linnenbrink-GarciaL. (2012). Academic emotions and student engagement. In ChristensonS.ReschlyA.WylieC. (Eds.), Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 259–282). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-2018-7_12
SwainM. (2013). The inseparability of cognition and emotion in second language learning. Language Teaching, 46(2), 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0261444811000486
60.
TangC.LiuY. T. (2018). Effects of indirect coded corrective feedback with and without short affective teacher comments on L2 writing performance, learner uptake and motivation. Assessing Writing, 35, 26–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2017.12.002
Van BeuningenC.De JongN.KuikenF. (2012). Evidence on the effectiveness of comprehensive error correction in second language writing. Language Learning, 62(1), 1–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9922.2011.00674.x
63.
VärlanderS. (2008). The role of students’ emotions in formal feedback situations. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(2), 145–156. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510801923195
64.
WhiteC. (2018). The emotional turn in applied linguistics and TESOL: Significance, challenges and prospects. In Martínez AgudoJ. (Ed.), Emotions in second language teaching (pp. 19–34). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75438-3_2
65.
WinstoneN. E.CarlessD. (2019). Designing effective feedback processes in higher education: A learning-focused approach. Routledge.
66.
WinstoneN. E.NashR. A.RowntreeJ.ParkerM. (2017). “It’d be useful, but I wouldn’t use it”: Barriers to university students’ feedback seeking and recipience. Studies in Higher Education, 42(11), 2026–2041. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1130032
67.
WuP.JiangX. (2025). Different trajectories of student feedback literacy development through learning-centered feedback process in university writing class. International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 36(2), 1345–1358. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12861
68.
YangM.BadgerR.YuZ. (2006). A comparative study of peer and teacher feedback in a Chinese EFL writing class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15(3), 179–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2006.09.004
69.
YuS.JiangL.ZhouN. (2020). Investigating what feedback practices contribute to students’ writing motivation and engagement in Chinese EFL context: A large scale study. Assessing Writing, 44, 100451. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2020.100451
70.
YuS.ZhengY.JiangL.LiuC.XuY. (2021). “I even feel annoyed and angry”: Teacher emotional experiences in giving feedback on student writing. Assessing Writing, 48, 100528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2021.100528
ZhangT.ChenX.HuJ.KetwanP. (2021). EFL students’ preferences for written corrective feedback: Do error types, language proficiency, and foreign language enjoyment matter?Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 660564. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660564
73.
ZhengY.YuS. (2018). Student engagement with teacher written corrective feedback in EFL writing: A case study of Chinese lower-proficiency students. Assessing Writing, 37, 13–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2018.03.001
74.
ZhengY.YuS.LiuZ. (2020). Understanding individual differences in lower-proficiency students’ engagement with teacher written corrective feedback. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1806225
