The Effects of Genre-Based Instruction and Genre-Focused Feedback on L2 Writing Performance

Although Genre-Based Instruction (GBI) was proposed as a solution to L2 writing-related problems many years ago, its contribution to writing performance has not been extensively studied and the assessment instruments used in genre studies typically pertain to linguistic theories older than the Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). Moreover, even though a feedback typology suitable to genre-based contexts has been proposed, it has never been empirically tested. For these reasons, this study aimed to test the effects of GBI and Genre-Focused Feedback (GFF) over the period of one semester with a genre-based assessment instrument. Secondly, the study aimed to find out if providing GFF as Hand Holding or Bridging made any difference in the development of the mastery of the literary analysis essay. The findings showed that there was an improvement in the mastery of the genre as confirmed by an embedded mixed methods design. The type of GFF made no difference in the development of the mastery of the genre. The results suggested that GBI and GFF can be integrated into content courses to increase both content and course-related genre knowledge.