What are the most effective feedback strategies for ESL students' academic writing?

In my experience, one of the most effective feedback strategies that can help ESL students improve their academic writing is to teach them not only the meaning of new words but also their collocations and parts of speech. That way, students can write much better, grammatically error-free pieces.

Another dimension of feedback is purpose. Since students are diverse, teachers should discern which type of feedback is most suitable for each individual. Factors like timing (beginning, during and end of the academic year), students' attitude and mood, and students' special educational needs are key in deciding whether feedback should be corrective, motivational or a combination of the two. Students who are under-achieving, have learning difficulties, are frequently absent, lack motivation, or have low self-esteem will benefit from positive reinforcement. However, all students appreciate it when teachers highlight their strengths, making the end of the academic year a great time to celebrate their accomplishments.

For feedback to be truly constructive, the language level of the student, the goals of the student and the end goal of the piece direct what would be appropriate feedback. Language is a tool, the goal is to learn to use the tool effectively. Confidence and enjoyment are paramount when learning a new language, feedback must enhance motivation, never squash it. Effective prose looks different than effective technical writing, the goals of the learner matter.

Feedback for ESL students should not ignore students' first language, as it will influence their writing both positively and negatively. From vocabulary to different syntactic structures, students will tap into other languages to underpin English. Speakers of Romance languages find it easier to learn and employ vocabulary with Latin roots, but false friends will lead to mistakes. Expressions and idioms in the first language will sound gibberish if translated directly into English due to cultural differences or the wrong word order. Hence, feedback should also highlight the similarities and differences that bridge or widen the gap between the two languages to make students aware of their linguistic resources and how to apply them properly.

With the rise of large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT, artificial intelligence has emerged as a new source of feedback. Nevertheless, while LLMs can be valuable for text revision, it is important to note that they do not possess a deep understanding of the information they process and may produce erroneous content. If teachers choose to incorporate LLMs in their classrooms, it is advisable to inform students about their potential shortcomings.