Lost in Translation Revisited: Timely Teacher Feedback and the Academic Writing Performance of Omani EFL Undergraduates

Abstract

Although exposure to English has broadened across Oman, many undergraduates still struggle with the linguistic, rhetorical and cultural demands of academic writing in tertiary settings. Building on calls for evidence based approaches to feedback, this quasi experimental study examines whether timely teacher feedback (within 48 hours) significantly improves the academic writing quality of Omani English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students. One hundred first year undergraduates (50 male, 50 female) enrolled in Academic Writing I were randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving rapid feedback and a control group receiving feedback after one week. Pre  and post tests were marked with a validated analytic rubric covering coherence, cohesion, vocabulary and grammar (inter rater reliability α = .87). Independent samples t tests and a mixed two way ANOVA revealed statistically significant post intervention gains for the experimental cohort across all domains (p < .001), with the largest effect in vocabulary (Cohen’s d = 1.12). Findings align with sociocultural views of feedback as contingent mediation and underscore the need for responsive, culturally sensitive writing support frameworks in Gulf tertiary contexts. Implications centre on institutionalising 48 hour feedback cycles, training faculty in efficient written commentary techniques, and embedding iterative, discipline linked writing tasks across the curriculum.