Oral corrective feedback in L2 Chinese classes: Teachers’ beliefs versus their practices

Abstract

This study investigates the nature of corrective feedback (CF) and the relationship between eight Chinese-as-a-second-language (CSL) teachers' beliefs about CF and their actual practices. Data was collected through classroom observation and a questionnaire. The results indicate that recasts are the most frequently used feedback type and prompts occur least. Moreover, phonological errors receive the largest amount of CF; while various CF strategies are used across error types, recasts and explicit correction being the most prevalent. In addition, CSL teachers share common beliefs on the importance of CF, the emphasis on teacher-led feedback and the need to consider learner-related factors, but have differing beliefs on when to provide CF, what to correct, and which types of CF are most commonly used. Furthermore, their beliefs parallel their practices regarding the frequency of CF, the least-used feedback strategy, and the emphasis on teacher-led feedback. Inconsistencies are identified regarding the time to provide CF, the commonly-used CF types, and the amounts of CF. Reasons for these inconsistencies may be attributed to the instructional focus, the target language, and class size. The results further highlight a significant impact of CSL teachers’ entrenched beliefs on their CF practices. Finally, implications for Chinese language teaching are discussed.