Oral corrective feedback in English as a foreign language classrooms: A teaching and learning perspective

Loc Tan Nguyen,Bui Phu Hung,Xuan Van Ha

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07550

Loc Tan Nguyen, Bui Phu Hung + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07550

Copy DOI

Journal: Heliyon	Publication Date: Jul 1, 2021
Citations: 24	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

Abstract

Oral corrective feedback, a key topic in second language pedagogy and research in applied linguistics and second language acquisition, has widely been investigated for the past two decades. However, the relationship between teachers' and students' beliefs about oral corrective feedback has been relatively underexplored. The current study extends this line of research by examining the extent to which Vietnamese English as a foreign language teachers' and students' beliefs concerning the importance, types, and timing of feedback are aligned. The data consisted of questionnaires with 250 students, interviews with 15 of those who completed the questionnaires, and interviews with 24 teachers at four public secondary schools in Vietnam. The findings showed some matches and mismatches between the teachers' and students' beliefs. Both the teachers and students highly valued the efficacy of feedback and were positive about explicit feedback types such as explicit corrections and metalinguistic feedback. Regarding feedback timing, the students preferred immediate feedback while the teachers expressed their concerns about the students' emotional state and the possibility of disruption of immediate feedback on the flow of students' speech. The findings are interpreted in relation to sociocultural factors, contextual factors, and teachers' and students’ experiences. Implications for language teachers, teacher educators, and professional development program designers are discussed.

Highlights

Beliefs, as defined by Borg (2011), are “propositions individuals consider to be true [...] which are often tacit, have a strong evaluative and affective component, provide a basis for action, and are resistant to change”
Two-thirds of the interviewed students (10/15) expressed a wish to be corrected as much as possible. They reasoned that they were used to it because their teachers corrected them frequently. They commented that teachers' oral corrective feedback (OCF) could help them improve their language accuracy, which was necessary for exams
This study investigated Vietnamese teachers' and students' beliefs concerning OCF in secondary EFL settings, revealing some matches and mismatches between the teachers' and students' beliefs

Summary

Introduction

As defined by Borg (2011), are “propositions individuals consider to be true [...] which are often tacit, have a strong evaluative and affective component, provide a basis for action, and are resistant to change” (pp. 370–371). In a recent study, Ha and Nguyen (2021) revealed that students preferred to receive feedback for all error types and wished to be trained to provide peer feedback, while teachers were more selective in their choices of feedback targets and were sometimes sceptical about their students' ability to do peer correction. These mismatches between the teachers' and students' beliefs may result in adverse effects on the behaviours and outcomes of teaching and learning.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion