A Critical Review of Empirical Research on the Effect(s) of Written Feedback on Writing

This paper aims to review empirical studies on the relation and effect of teachers' feedback on second language (L2) writing development. The purposes of this review are two folds; (a) to present and compare the findings of these studies, and (b) to make certain recommendations for future research based on the limitations and gaps in literature. Thus, this review does not merely provide a summary of previous studies, but it also includes a critical analysis of these studies. The approach employed is based on comparing the findings of these studies. We also question both the internal and external validity of these studies through examining their research methodology.