Effects of metalinguistic corrective feedback on novice EFL students' digital game‐based grammar learning performances, perceptions and behavioural patterns

Abstract Learning with digital games has gained considerable popularity. While digital game‐based learning has the potential to improve learners' language learning achievement, engagement and motivation, there still exists a gap when it comes to providing effective feedback to learners within these games. Conventional digital games generally provide learners with immediate error correction, which could be of less help to learners when learning complex language content, such as grammar. In this study, a metalinguistic corrective feedback‐based digital gaming approach is proposed. Moreover, an experiment was conducted to explore how digital games, combined with metalinguistic corrective feedback, affect novice English learners' grammar learning achievement, as well as their perceptions of learning motivation, self‐efficacy and flow experience during learning. Lag sequential analysis was also applied to identify differences in the behavioural patterns of the two groups. A total of 76 university students participated in this study. The experimental group learned the target grammar via digital games combined with metalinguistic corrective feedback, whereas the control group learned with digital games combined with regular feedback, which is immediate error correction. The results suggest that metalinguistic corrective feedback has a positive impact on students' grammar learning, and benefits students who have lower initial intrinsic motivation and self‐efficacy. Different feedback types also lead to diverse learning behaviours. Practitioner notes What is already known about this topic Feedback has substantial potential within the domain of digital game‐based learning. Proper instructional theories and strategies should be considered when designing digital games to guide language learners to engage in meaningful learning. What this paper adds Feedback that directs learners to rectify errors by emphasizing grammatical rules and language structures is referred to as metalinguistic corrective feedback. This study proposed a metalinguistic corrective feedback‐based digital gaming approach to explore the efficacy of such feedback in digital games. In addition to learning outcomes, learners' learning behaviour patterns were also recorded and analysed in this study. Implications for practice and/or policy It is potentially worth integrating metalinguistic corrective feedback into digital games to facilitate language learners' learning performances and perceptions. Metalinguistic corrective feedback has the potential to support learners with lower self‐efficacy and motivation to learn complicated language content. Future research can integrate different feedback models into digital games and investigate their effectiveness.