Abstract
Purpose – This study examined the types of written corrective feedback provided to ESL students in writing classes in Malaysian secondary schools, and their perceptions towards the provision of written corrective feedback in the Malaysian context. Methodology – A survey questionnaire was administered randomly among 720 Form Four students from 10 secondary schools in Penang. The questionnaire was based on a Likert scale and responses were analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings – Results showed that most learners benefited from and preferred direct feedback, and tended to focus on form such as grammar, paragraph organisation, content and clarity of ideas. Students preferred this form of feedback as they were able to understand errors more clearly. It was found that most students were unable to self-regulate their own errors; a majority could not locate their own errors and had become passive learners within the Malaysian schooling system. Significance – The study is significant to Malaysian secondary schools in its effects, depicting the many forms of corrective feedback available in the ESL context that can be employed in school besides the popularized direct feedback used within the syllabus.
Highlights
In second language (L2) pedagogy, much emphasis is placed on linguistic form to ensure the effectiveness of second language acquisition (SLA)
In the Malaysian ESL classroom, teachers’ written corrective feedback (WCF) has been found to help university students to address grammatical errors and language problems in order to write better and more accurately (Rahim, Jaganathan, & Mahadi, 2019), there is a gap in the literature on the provision of WCF in Malaysian secondary schools, which this study aims to fulfil
The key findings highlight that many Malaysian English teachers provide students with direct feedback in error correction as it is found to be easy to understand, correct and has more clarity on the type of error made (Chandler, 2003)
Summary
In second language (L2) pedagogy, much emphasis is placed on linguistic form to ensure the effectiveness of second language acquisition (SLA). Long (2000) advocated the focus-on-form approach, which highlights linguistic elements in the context of lessons that focus on communicating or meaning-making (Long, 2000). In second language (L2) pedagogy, much emphasis is placed on linguistic form to ensure the effectiveness of second language acquisition (SLA). According to Hattie and Timperley (2007), feedback occurs when information on a learner’s understanding of their linguistic errors or language performance is relayed to them by an agent – the teacher, a book, or even their own experience. Based on behaviourist and communicative advances in language pedagogy, the purpose of providing feedback is to motivate learners and ensure their linguistic accuracy (Ellis, 2009). Voerman, Meijer, Korthagen and Simons (2012) are of view that the teacher provides information pertaining to the students’ understanding or performance in order to improve their learning experience, which is the main goal of providing feedback. Similar terms used to describe feedback include grammar or error correction (Truscott, 1996, 2007)
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Schedule a callMore From: Malaysian Journal of Learning and Instruction (MJLI) Vol. 17, No.2 July 2020
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