More than a response to Andrew Sampson’s (2012) “Coded and uncoded error feedback: effects on error frequencies in adult Colombian EFL learners’ writing”: a call for replication

Abstract

In an article published in System Vol. 40 Andrew Sampson (2012) made several claims regarding the positive effect of “coding” or “marking” of second language writing errors and how the use of said coding can have a positive effect on the number of errors appearing in L2 writers’ subsequent writings. However, upon closer examination of the article’s methodology, we feel such a claim regarding the use of coding in the L2 writing classroom is not justified without further research. In this commentary, through reexamination of Sampson’s research, we argue that (1) correction of errors that appeared on previous drafts should not be equated with the ability to produce correct forms in future writings; (2) equality of sampling across learners’ texts should have been more systematic; and (3) error types deserve a more systematic classification scheme. We further elaborate on the flaws found in the research methodology and where appropriate suggest alternatives. Finally, we conclude with some suggestions regarding coded verses uncoded feedback.