Student and teacher beliefs about oral corrective feedback in junior secondary English classrooms

Abstract

Beliefs about oral corrective feedback, especially those held by young EFL learners, are under-researched. This paper reports on a study designed to investigate whether Chinese junior secondary students and teachers share similar beliefs about oral corrective feedback (OCF) in English instruction and how students’ English proficiency may relate to their OCF beliefs. A questionnaire was completed by 87 teachers and 597 students, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 students with varying English proficiency. Statistical analyses of the questionnaire data found significant differences between student and teacher beliefs with respect to general attitude toward OCF, uptake of OCF, preference for certain types of OCF, and provision of OCF based on the gravity of errors. Students at different proficiency levels were also found to hold different beliefs about the timing and uptake of OCF. A content analysis of the interviews revealed more detailed similarities and differences between the OCF views held by students with varying English proficiency. These findings suggest that student beliefs are shaped by various individual, situational, contextual and cultural factors. Pedagogical efforts that can be made to maximize the effects of OCF in the classroom are discussed in light of these findings.