Teacher cognition in corrective feedback in Japan

Abstract

Abstract Based on qualitative data, the current study explored how the knowledge and beliefs of two EFL professionals shaped their corrective feedback practices. The two teachers teaching in Japan had in common two main agendas that they kept in mind as they provided or opted not to provide corrective feedback. They aimed to teach the language and to instill values—such as confidence, independence, and the ability to communicate reasonably well—that they felt were undervalued in the specific cultural context in which they taught. The present study highlights the need to expand the scope of corrective feedback research, introducing social, cultural, personal, and experiential factors that have been hitherto strictly excluded from research designs, and incorporating all goals that teachers are trying to achieve as they error correct. It also suggests that the inclusion of teachers’ perceived classroom reality—how teachers conceptualize corrective feedback and how they learn and practice it on a daily basis—in theory construction may lead to new research programs and eventually contribute to a deeper understanding of second language learning and teaching processes.