Researchers have demonstrated that both teachers and students believe that written corrective feedback is very significant for acquiring a second language. The studies also reveal that there are different types of written corrective feedback, such as conventional (pen-paper) corrective feedback and computer-mediated corrective feedback (using computer editing programs). However, a question remains as to which of these types of corrective feedback is more effective and suitable for both writing teachers and students. This study aims to examine teachers' and students' beliefs and attitudes towards using the traditional and the computer-mediated corrective feedback in writing courses to explore which of these methods is more useful for Saudi university teachers and students. The study was conducted in one of the Saudi female universities, namely Princess Norah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU). Seven writing teachers participated in the questionnaire and the interview. Only four students participated in the questionnaire because the study was conducted during the summer vacation and it was impossible to meet them face to face. Therefore, the only way to collect the data was by sending the questionnaire via email and conducting the interview with the teachers via WhatsApp. The results revealed that writing teachers preferred using computer-mediated corrective feedback over conventional corrective feedback, although they used the latter to follow the university norms. The reason for their preference was that they believed conventional corrective feedback was time-consuming and took a lot of effort, while computer-mediated corrective feedback saved them time and effort. However, the students believed the opposite. They thought that conventional corrective feedback was more suitable for them, although most of them did not have any experience of computer-mediated corrective feedback. It can be concluded that there was a mismatch between the teachers' beliefs and their actual practices, and another mismatch between the teachers' beliefs and the students' preferences.
Key words: List of Abbreviations:
EFL: English as a Foreign Language
PNU: Princess Norah bint Abdul Rahman University
L2: Second Language
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