Corrective Feedback Strategies Research Articles

Investigating composition instructors’ written feedback practices at KSAU-HS of the academic year 2022–23

This study explores teachers' written corrective feedback (WCF) strategies and investigates factors determining teachers' WCF practices in English composition classes taught at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. Through a thematic analysis of online surveys, instructor written feedback practices on student writing, and semi-structured interviews, the results show that most English composition instructors provided written feedback on all forms of issues and practiced more direct than indirect feedback on correcting those issues. They gave feedback in the margin and end-note feedback on student writing. Their written feedback practices were due to contextual factors, namely their beliefs about errors, their types and students’ proficiency levels. This study discusses the limitations, and implications of the study findings and ends by making some recommendations for English writing instructors and curriculum designers.

Teachers’ Written Corrective Feedback Strategies Through the Lens of the Students

This descriptive-qualitative study was conducted to venture the written corrective feedback strategies employed by the College of Teacher Education teachers in a private university in Davao City, Philippines. The study utilized thematic analysis to analyze the data gathered from the in-depth interviews of eight selected participants through a purposive sampling technique. The data revealed teachers' seven written corrective feedback strategies: lexical written feedback, grammatical written feedback, organization in writing, motivating written feedback, metalinguistic feedback, and verification feedback. Additionally, this study uncovered the impact of written corrective feedback strategies, namely improvement of lexical skills, improvement of sentence structure, improvement of grammatical skills, development of the organization in writing, enhancement of self-regulation, a decrease of the affective filter, and improvement of learning productivity. The results of this study presented various written corrective feedback strategies for the teachers. It also unveiled the implications of the strategies employed. Hence, it is gainful for the administrators and teachers because they will be encouraged to use the strategies found in the study and practice them in the academe. It will also contribute to the students in a way that they will value the feedback.

Students Attitudes Towards Oral Corrective Feedback: A Case Study from Oman

Understanding students’ attitudes toward oral corrective feedback is pivotal. This case study explored English Language Omani students’ attitudes toward teachers’ oral corrective feedback strategies to check the congruence between teachers’ and students’ preferences. We raised the following questions: What types of oral corrective feedback are used by teachers and preferred by students? Observational data were collected from two Omani English teachers to discern the types and frequencies of Oral Corrective Feedback utilized. Additionally, semi-structured interviews with six students were conducted to gain a holistic view of their perspectives and preferences. Classroom observations were quantitatively scrutinized for data analysis, whereas the interview data underwent a grounded theory procedure. The data demonstrated that teachers predominantly employed the ‘recast’ type of feedback. Notably, students showcased a generally positive attitude towards Oral Corrective Feedback. They preferred the ‘repetition’ and ‘elicitation’ feedback types. Moreover, internal factors, like personal motivation and language proficiency, and external factors, such as curriculum challenges and teacher personalities, emerged as significant influencers of their attitudes and choices. The study unearthed an incongruence between students’ preferences and the teachers’ actual Oral Corrective Feedback practices. This incongruence suggests potential impediments to the effectiveness of feedback in facilitating optimal learning experiences. There is a need to bridge the gap between teaching practices and student preferences to improve learning outcomes and feedback.

Exploring Errors Treatment Impacts on Undergraduate Learners in English Language Classrooms at Kohat University of Science & Technology, Kohat

The objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive understanding about the various impacts of language teachers’ written or oral corrective feedback techniques and strategies on learners’ language learning. This study also investigates learners’ attitudes and perceptions about their teachers’ corrective feedback strategies applied in the classrooms. Using inappropriate approaches in learner errors treatment process can hold back learner language learning performance in the classroom. This study employs mixed method approach by collecting data through questionnaire and interview. Quantitative data is collected from 219 students by using five-point Likert scale questionnaire. To determine the results, descriptive analysis and regression analysis is applied; while qualitative data is analyzed through thematic analysis. Research study concluded that teacher’s attitude and strategies during learner errors treatment process can cast enormous positive or negative impacts on learner language learning. Learners recommended appropriate and well accepted feedback strategies for their better learning in language classrooms.

EFL learners’ perceptions and their association with the effectiveness of model texts as a feedback tool

ABSTRACT This quasi-experimental study investigated the effect of using model texts as a written corrective feedback (WCF) strategy on second language learners’ writing, in both rewritten drafts and new drafts. It further examined learners’ perceptions of model-based feedback and how those perceptions affected model effectiveness. Sixty-six English learners were equally divided into either a model group (i.e. an experiment group) or a control group. They wrote an argumentative essay, rewrote the same text, and then wrote a new text using a different prompt. Before rewriting their first draft, the model group received model texts with which they compared their initial writing, whereas the control group self-corrected their errors instead. The model group also completed a perception questionnaire on the usefulness of model-based feedback. The model group outperformed the control group, but only in the rewriting task. Furthermore, in the rewriting task there was a significant correlation between learners’ perceptions of models and the effectiveness of model-based feedback, but not in the new writing task.

Corrective feedback: Pragmatic exposures in EFL classroom interactions

The questioning act is considered to be one of the most common and prominent features of classroom interactions. This analysis was proposed to reveal teachers’ questioning acts serving as pragmatic exposures in their corrective feedback strategies as they interact with students in the classroom. Data were collected from two EFL teachers that conveniently observed so-called non-intrusive observation, taking notes, and audio-recording that was subsequently transcribed. Certain episodes obtained from transcription were chosen and scrutinized in light of how well they contributed to the aim of the study using Conversation Analysis (CA). As a result, this study has yielded important insights into what and how questions are. Through corrective feedback, teacher questions were not only regarded and associated with their pedagogical purposes but also with the pragmatic and social function depending on the context where and how they possibly appeared. Besides giving a contribution to the body of knowledge, the questioning act provides significance and brings solutions to problematic classroom interactions that most teachers might have in the class.

HOW TEACHERS IN AN INFORMAL ENGLISH TRAINING INSTITUTION TREAT YOUNG LEARNERS’ ORAL ERRORS

Corrective feedback needs to be used carefully to treat young learners’ oral errors as it should not inhibit learners from communicating. This study aims to investigate the use of corrective feedback strategies by informal English training center teachers in Bandung. Classroom observation and coding were used to collect and categorize data regarding errors committed by students and teachers’ use of corrective strategies. The study found that pronunciation errors (49%) were most frequently committed, followed by grammar (27%), vocabulary (20%), and the use of L1 (4%) errors. To treat those errors, the teachers apply corrective feedback strategies, which mostly were in the form of recast (46%) and elicitation (35%). Other corrective feedback strategies such as explicit correction (11%), metalinguistic feedback (6%), repetition (1%), and paralinguistic signal (1%) were found less frequently. This study suggests teachers consider several factors such as types of errors, learning factors, and learners’ factors when deciding the corrective feedback strategies.

Effect of Corrective Feedback on the Development of Vocabulary in the Acquisition of Second Language at Secondary Level

Effect of corrective feedback on the development of vocabulary in the acquisition of second language at secondary level was the main purpose of this study. The study utilized an experimental design, specifically a (pre-test post-test equivalent group design). Sample consisted of 30 students in each group, selected on their pre-test scores. Experimental group received corrective feedback during an eight-week period, while the control group followed the same lessons but with the conventional teaching. Results also indicated that application of corrective feedback strategy was beneficial for the vocabulary development of experimental group contrarily to control group. These findings implied that integrating ‘‘corrective feedback’’ a type of feedback in language teaching practices can effectively enhance students' language proficiency in public sector schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Therefore, the study recommends that language teachers in public sector schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should adopt corrective feedback strategies into their teaching practices to improve their students' overall language proficiency, including vocabulary development.

FEEDBACK AS A MEANS OF REALIZING REFLECTIVE APPROACH IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHING

The article deals with the issues of "feedback" while teaching English as a foreign language. The paper observes development of feedback as a pedagogical phenomenon, defines its functions, characterizes its types, particularly indicating that oral corrective feedback strategies used by the teachers are explicit correction, recast, clarification request, metalinguistic clue, elicitation, repetition, body language and combined strategies. The features of the implementation of the feedback elements through the appropriate organization of the educational process aimed at the formation and development of students’ professional skills and abilities are determined. The advantages of using feedback as a component of reflective models in the educational process are considered to provide the teacher with a certain selection of actions that will motivate students to learn English, adapt educational material to current reality, and develop critical and creative thinking. Reflective practice, on the one hand, helps the student realize his level of knowledge, and on the other hand, encourages the teacher to reflect on his teaching strategy, analyze the chosen methods, evaluate the process of teaching and improve his teaching activities in order to achieve the goals of teaching and get the expected results. The given analysis proves that reflective teaching practice including feedback as one of its components assists the teachers to acquire both professional growth and personal development. The paper also offers examples how to use them effectively while teaching foreign languages and highlights that the feedback given in the foreign language classroom environment greatly affects students’ level ofmotivation.

The role of learner engagement with corrective feedback in EFL/ESL classrooms.

As corrective feedback (CF) is conducive to students' second language (L2) development, a considerable number of studies have investigated the effects of different types of CF strategies on EFL/ESL learning achievement. However, the role of learner engagement has been largely neglected in the field of CF research. The present study aims to describe the role of learner engagement with CF in EFL/ESL classrooms by reviewing theoretical and empirical evidence. The findings reveal that learner engagement is indispensable for CF to be effective, and providing strategies for working with CF is essential to guide EFL/ESL learners in their learning process. The implications for teacher CF practice and learner engagement training are also discussed.

Teachers’ stated cognition and its relationship with oral corrective feedback practices in EFL classrooms

Many studies have examined the effects of oral corrective feedback on language learning. However, much less research has examined the role of teacher cognition in this area. In particular, research on teacher cognition and its relationship with teachers' actual classroom practices has received relatively less attention. The present study examined four male and female EFL teachers' stated cognition and its relationship with their corrective feedback practices in intermediate-level classrooms. Data consisted of audio recordings of 14 h of classroom interaction collected over five weeks, a cognition questionnaire, and stimulated recall sessions. The findings revealed that while all the teachers highlighted the importance of corrective feedback, important differences were observed in their views about corrective feedback strategies. Notable discrepancies were also observed between teachers' stated cognition and their actual classroom practices regarding both the types and the amount of feedback used. The findings further our understanding of what teachers’ cognitions consist of and what roles it plays in instructional contexts.

An Appraisal of How Tanzanian Secondary School Teachers of English Use Oral Corrective Feedback Strategies in ELT

This paper examines teachers’ classroom practices in providing oral corrective feedback to students in English language lessons, focusing on the procedures that teachers use in handling students’ spoken errors. Using Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, the study looked into how teachers utilize different oral corrective feedback strategies in their lessons. Data collection was done through classroom observation and interviews conducted in two public secondary schools in Dar es Salaam City. The participants were teachers and students. Thirteen English language lessons were observed, recorded, transcribed, and analysed; and six English language teachers were interviewed. The results suggest that the teachers apply at least six techniques in handling students’ spoken errors, namely explicit correction, clarification requests, recasts, metalinguistic feedback, repetition, and corrective comments. Explicit correction was the most frequently used strategy, while corrective comments was the least frequently used. Lastly, the learners’ level of language proficiency dictated the teachers’ choice of the OCF strategy. Keywords: English language teaching, Tanzanian secondary schools, errors, corrective feedback

Comparative analysis of written corrective feedback strategies: a linear growth modeling approach

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the development of English article accuracy in second language writing following direct or indirect corrective feedback (CF). Participants were 56 middle-school-aged learners of English nested within four classrooms who were studying for the writing portion of the Secondary School Admission Test. In this longitudinal analysis, each student completed four essays, with a weekly gap between each assignment. On the measures of writing accuracy, adolescent students in the direct CF group demonstrated increasing trajectories of accuracy with English article usage compared to the indirect CF group. Additionally, there was a significant difference in improvement by proficiency level: for lower proficiency learners, but not higher proficiency learners, both indirect and direct corrective feedback resulted in improvement in English article accuracy. The findings suggest that CF treatments designed to enhance a learner’s accuracy can be influenced by the learner’s existing proficiency, at least among adolescents.

Written corrective feedback strategies: A systematic review

In the last few decades, written corrective feedback (WCF) in Second language acquisition(SLA) has held great importance for L2 researchers. Technically, WCF consists of different forms, scopes, and tones compared to oral feedback and types and strategies. Truscott’s claim (1996) about the practicality of grammatical corrections became the reason for many researchers to investigate the matter more in detail. As WCF is directly related to teachers and students, it is equally significant to consider the psychology of learners who adopt feedback that when, where, and how much feedback they can process according to their capability. All these aspects assisted researchers in broadening their range of research to plan vibrant research designs to cover all mechanisms involved in the feedback process. Not only the question of debate is teachers’ and students’ perception about WCF but also the effects of different WCF strategies. The present paper aims to bring forth the rational, systematic review of the recent studies from 2018 till 2022 conducted on written corrective feedback strategies, specifically direct and indirect feedback type followed by a metalinguistic explanation as to the most frequent way of providing feedback by teachers. The data displayed the learners’ inclination towards direct written corrective feedback as the preferred type over indirect WCF. This paper will assist new researchers planning to explore this varied domain to understand what learners perceive, prefer, and how any WCF type influences them.

Saudi Female EFL Teachers’ Cognition and Practices Regarding Online Corrective Feedback in Speaking Class

The study of teachers’ cognition and classroom practices about online corrective feedback in English language teaching is a recent trend in research. However, there is a paucity of studies on teachers’ practices and cognition of online corrective feedback in speaking class. Therefore, this study attempts to bridge this research gap by investigating Saudi female English language teachers’ cognition and practices related to corrective feedback in an online speaking setting. The main question of this study is What are Saudi female EFL teachers’ practices and tacit beliefs about online corrective feedback? The participants of the study were five Saudi female teachers. This study applied a qualitative case study approach dealing with in-depth data collection instruments, including online class observations followed by face-to-face semi-structured and stimulated recall interviews, which interacted with each other through a practical argument process. The results revealed how the teachers’ online corrective feedback beliefs shaped their practices. The observational data revealed that all five teachers corrected most of their students’ errors using various online corrective feedback strategies. The observational data revealed that most teachers used output-prompting strategies more commonly than input-providing strategies, reflecting teachers’ interest in prompting self-correction discovery and reducing the students’ need for assistance. This study thus provides a deeper insight into the complexity of teachers’ cognitions and practices regarding online corrective feedback. Implications of the findings of this study in teacher education are highlighted, and recommendations for further research are suggested.

High school EFL teachers’ oral corrective feedback beliefs and practices, and the effects of lesson focus

Abstract Teachers’ oral corrective feedback (CF) may be influenced by the communication orientation of the lessons, but little research has taken lesson focus into account when examining the relationship between teachers’ CF beliefs and practices. This study explores teachers’ CF beliefs, practices, and the relationship between the two constructs in Vietnamese high school EFL classrooms. The study also compares and contrasts the teachers’ CF practices in relation to two opposing lesson types in terms of communication orientation. The participants were ten experienced EFL teachers from two public high schools. Analysis of audio-recorded in-depth interviews and video and audio-recorded classroom observations (n = 20 lessons, 15 h) showed a strong relationship between the lesson focus and the teachers’ practices in various aspects of feedback provision. The teachers’ beliefs were reflected more consistently in grammar lessons (where the teaching is more form-focused) than in speaking lessons (where the teaching is more meaning-focused). There was also a difference in the teachers’ CF strategies used between the two lesson types. This difference could be explained by the teachers’ background and the difference in the predictability of the learning activities and learner contributions.

The role of working memory in the effects of models as a written corrective strategy

Abstract Several studies have evaluated the use of sample texts as models, against which second language (L2) learners can compare their original writing, as a written corrective feedback (WCF) strategy. This study contributes to this literature by investigating whether L2 learners’ working memory capacity, which is posited to play a crucial role in L2 learning, moderates the effects of models in WCF. Sixty-seven L2 college students were assigned to either a model group or a control group. Students in both groups individually engaged in a three-stage writing task (i.e., writing-comparing-rewriting), but only students in the model group received model essays during the comparison stage. Two weeks later, all participants were asked to repeat the same writing task, to investigate the long-term effects of models as well as to perform two working memory tasks: a complex working memory task (a reading span test) and a phonological short-term memory task (a non-word repetition test). Results showed that the model group learners made significant improvements in their writing, and maintained those positive effects after two weeks. In addition, complex working memory and phonological short-term memory were found to be significant predictors of the extent to which L2 learners benefitted from the use of models.

Multilingual teacher training in South Tyrol: strategies for effective linguistic input with young learners

ABSTRACT Purpose: Attempts to cultivate a multilingual mindset in education in South Tyrol find an obstacle in educational norms, structures and policies that divide students into linguistically distinct schools based on their self-identified main language. Education in the region is administered through three separate educational authorities – German-speaking, Italian-speaking, Ladin-speaking – and teachers are prepared for service in one of these based on their own declared linguistic identification. Plural identities and translingual interaction do not flourish in this context where language separation is the norm. This paper begins with an overview of the educational policy of language separation in South Tyrol and its impact on the language achievement of its students. It then addresses how the Free University of Bolzano has responded to the need for improved language competences through teacher training for multilingual schools in the Province of Bolzano.Design: The paper presents the preliminary results of a small-scale study with in-service preschool teachers through an action research cycle in which classroom observations and a language input observation scheme are used to quantitively measure the quality of teachers' language input in second-language instruction in German and English, and provide formative feedback for improvement in teaching practice.Findings and Value: The expected outcomes of the study are threefold: (1) improving input and corrective feedback strategies of language teachers; (2) raising language awareness among teachers participating in peer observation; (3) empowering the emergence of language rich episodes through effective planning of interactive lessons in second/foreign language teaching. The study contributes to an understanding of what makes teachers' corrective feedback strategies in preschool settings effective in rendering input comprehensible for young learners, thus assisting language appropriation processes.

Written Corrective Feedback Strategies Applied by Van Lang University’s EFL Lecturers in Teaching Online

During the covid-19 pandemic, many changes occurred that disrupted our lives. Authors must adapt to survive, and learning through online platforms is a change that forces us to adapt to avoid disrupting the learning process. The primary goal of this research project is to investigate the WCF techniques used by 30 teachers while teaching writing English online. The research instrument sets comprised 16 questions, including open and closed ones. The study uses quantitative and qualitative methods. This research paper is a timely complement to the topic of WCF strategies. It will serve as a resource for many teachers who are unsure about using the WCF approach when teaching writing online.

A Critical Appraisal of the Correspondence between Students’ Attitudes towards the Use of Corrective Feedback Strategies and How They Are Implemented by Teachers in EFL Classroom Interactions

As a critical appraisal, this study investigated the correspondence between teachers’ corrective feedback strategies used in English as a foreign language (EFL) classes and students’ preferences of corrective feedback strategies by analyzing both quantitative and qualitative data. The participants were 20 high school English teachers and 50 students of Salami High school in Kazeroun. To critically compare their preferences, both the students and teachers were asked to answer approximately identical questionnaires. The CF strategies were ranked according to the students’ and teachers’ attitudes. The results of the quantitative data analysis were as follows: There was no overall significant difference in CF preference of the students and CF usage of the teachers. The CF strategies were ranked by the teachers as teachers’ elicitation followed by clarification request, repetition, recasting, and explicit correction in order. The students’ preferences were ranked differently. Clarification request was the most preferred one followed by teacher’s elicitation, repetition, recasting, and explicit correction in order. The qualitative results indicated that there were different individual justifications for their choices. This study concludes with some pedagogical implications and further suggestions for more research of corrective feedback strategies in different socio-cultural conditions.