What is it about?
This study aims at exploring the preparatory year instructors' opinions on the contributions of oral corrective feedback (OCF) to the development of learners' acquisition of English. The study investigates instructors’ background about OCF, technical and pedagogical aspects of OCF, types of OCF adopted by instructors in EFL classrooms and what attitudes they have towards OCF. Two types of research tools were used: a questionnaire, and interviews. The findings prove that OCF is a vital element of classroom feedback as it enables students to develop their EL acquisition by motivating them to take control of their EL progress. However, most instructors have no idea about the types of OCF. They use it inside their classrooms but they are unaware of the definitions of the concepts. The study recommends that some preparation work needs to be done before harnessing the power of student-to-student feedback and developing teachers’ planning opportunities for on-going individual dialogue between teachers and students.
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Why is it important?
This study is expected to contribute to the field of corrective feedback research in general and oral corrective feedback in particular in an EFL setting. It may fill the gap between theory and practice in regard to the effectiveness of using oral corrective feedback to develop language acquisition. The findings obtained may participate in providing valuable information about the most effective type of oral corrective feedback to be used in an EFL setting. They might also show the best timing for feedback provision, the areas of language in which oral corrective feedback is most often used, and the pedagogical value of oral corrective feedback.
Perspectives
In the light of the results of the questionnaires and interviews most of the instructors emphasized on tolerance in learning. They described oral corrective feedback as a natural process in teaching and learning. Moreover, they applied a good principle in learning reflected as natural indicators for understanding. All instructors believed in the effectiveness of oral corrective feedback in enhancing learning, and this in turn, improved language acquisition. Yet one of the main shortcomings included in this study lied in the researchers’ inability to observe participants’ performance inside their classrooms so that the two researchers could identify exactly and touch effectively how consistent the responses of the participants go with their performance inside classes. This is due to two main factors; time, and administration procedures. Another limitation that the two researchers could not control and might have influenced the findings and results reached was reflected in the sample size of the study. It was planned and expected that 120 participants would share in this study; however, the number reached down to 31 due to many factors among them negligence of the some of the sample selected and their frequent insistence on sending no response to the questionnaire distributed to them.
Dr Montasser Mohamed Abdelwahab Mahmoud
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Perspectives on the Role of Oral Corrective Feedback in Developing English Language Acquisition, Journal of Teaching and Teacher Education, January 2018, Scientific Publishing Center,
DOI: 10.12785/jtte/060103.
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