Usage of Video Feedback in the Course of Writing in EFL: Challenges and Advantages

Abstract

The aim of this study is to find out the advantages and the challenges of utilizing video feedback for ELT teachers and EFL learners in the course of writing lessons. Qualitative case study was applied as the study design to gather and evaluate the data from the teachers and the learners participated in the study. The department of foreign languages of a university in Turkey was chosen to carry out the research that started at the beginning of the 2014-2015 academic year and application and gathering data procedure was completed in 5 months. Semi-structured in-depth focus group interviews with the participants were designated to achieve the purpose of the research. All 3 lecturers and 40 learners participated in the interviews that were carried out in private with the researchers. The whole data set was analyzed through the implementation of independent coding and thematic analysis approach. The results of the study show that advantages of using video feedback for writing skills have precedence over its challenges. The accessibility of feedback, user friendly nature of the software and the chance to integrate technology with teaching were the reported benefits of video feedback.

On the other hand, the expectation of instant feedback that might become a burden for teachers was listed as the disadvantage of video feedback. Giving video feedback to learners is advantageous for both teachers and learners. Even though learners