Timing of feedback and retrieval practice: a laboratory study with EFL students

The aim of this empirical laboratory study was to investigate the effect of immediate and delayed feedback on retrieval practice among Saudi EFL learners using short-answer tests administered at three different time points: immediately, one week later, and one month later. A total of 177 Saudi undergraduate EFL students were randomly assigned to four groups: Repeated Studying, Repeated Testing-no feedback, Repeated Testing-immediate feedback, and Repeated Testing-delayed feedback. Additionally, a restudy control group was included to compare retrieval practice and feedback effects to the restudy condition. Participants read a 487-word prose passage and underwent testing at the specified intervals. Results revealed that retrieval practice without feedback outperformed repeated studying in the one-month delayed test. Both immediate and delayed feedback groups outperform the no-feedback and restudying groups. Moreover, immediate feedback was found to be more effective than delayed feedback in enhancing long-term retention. These findings emphasize the importance of providing timely feedback to optimize retrieval practice and improve learning outcomes in EFL contexts.