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The Crucial Role of Written & Oral Corrective Feedback in EFL Classes

By: Yaffa Jumah Abu-hamdah

December 27, 2023

Corkboard with the word feedback on it.
Image by Racool_studio on Freepik

Introduction

Feedback helps students gain insight into their areas of strength and weakness, contributing to better learning outcomes. The teacher plays a pivotal role in providing constructive feedback that aids students in comprehending and enhancing their performance. In EFL classes, corrective feedback is typically given in the language classroom in oral and/or written formats. Rather than being merely a corrective measure, feedback serves as a strategic facilitator that propels learners toward linguistic competence.

Written Corrective Feedback (WCF)

Numerous studies investigating the effectiveness of written corrective feedback (WCF) have concluded that focused feedback, which targets errors of a specific type, is more effective and valuable for learners than unfocused feedback, which addresses all types of errors.  This approach captures the student’s attention and encourages them to concentrate on correcting specific errors. Wirantaka (2022) attempted to gauge EFL students’ perceptions of teacher-provided WCF about their academic texts in a course at Yogyakarta University. The research concludes that the criteria for effective (WCF)  are that it be understandable, focused, and direct. Here are some additional details from the study:

  1. WCF should be understandable: WCF should be provided simply and clearly so that it is easy for students to read and respond to the feedback. The students indicated that the WCF from teachers should be without abbreviations or any incomplete phrases, as this helps the students revise their writing text easily and clearly. To improve writing and allow for personalized feedback, it is crucial to encourage students to consult their teachers about their writing. This practice helps establish clear communication between the students and teachers and allows students to seek feedback and clarification on any areas they may not have understood. Students can also use writing consultations to report on revisions made to their writing based on the feedback received from their teachers.
  2. WCF should be focused: Ellis (2009) distinguishes between focused and unfocused written corrective feedback. Focused WCF  is when the teacher selects to address just one or two specific types of errors in the text. On the other hand, unfocused WCF involves correcting all types of errors in the text. It is crucial for students to pay special attention to specific aspects or elements within their writing. By doing so, they can allocate sufficient time and effort to address the identified errors and improve the overall quality of their work (Wirantaka, 2022). When using WCF, teachers should focus on their students’ needs and the specific learning outcomes aligned with the assignment. If spelling is being graded, WCF should target spelling. If vocabulary is being graded, WCF should focus on vocabulary (Hopper & Bowen2023).
  3. WCF should be direct: There are two different ways in which feedback can be delivered and received, namely direct and indirect. Direct feedback is when a teacher notices an error made by students and provides them with specific guidance to correct their mistakes. On the other hand, indirect feedback is when a teacher identifies an error made by students and allows them to work through it on their own to find the appropriate solution. Abidah & Ratih (2022) argue that direct WCF provides unambiguous correctness and can help students produce a better written product since students can identify their errors more quickly when they are aware of the right response from the instructor. Based on survey results, their findings indicated that students preferred receiving direct feedback since it is more concise and easier for them to identify errors and revise their work. 

Oral Corrective Feedback (OCF)

Lyster & Ranta (1997, as cited in Mahmudah & Anggunsari, 2023) identify six types of Oral Corrective Feedback (OCF): explicit correction, recast, clarification request, metalinguistic feedback, elicitation, and repetition. In a 2023 study conducted by Tarigan et al., English teachers were recorded responding to students as they engaged in speaking practice in class.  The recorded utterances included lexical, phonological, and syntactical errors, and examples of the six types of OCF provided by the teachers, including these real examples:

1. Explicit Correction

S: Do you knew what happened? The airline has lost my luggage! (syntactical error)

T: Use simple present time for the verb in the question. Do you know what happened? (explicit correction)

2. Recasts

S: I had some new clothes in one suitcase and some presents /pri-zent/ for the family in the other. (phonological error)

T: Present /‟preze(Ə)nt/ for the family. (recast) 

3. Clarification requests

T: Can you tell me how to get to Fox Street, please?

S: Sure. Go along this street until you come to the zebra-cross. Then turn left into Fox Street. (lexical error)

T: What do you mean by zebra-cross? (clarification request)

S: I mean, a road that crossed another road. (needs repair)

T: You should say cross-road. (repair)

4. Metalinguistic feedback

S: The most important thing is to speak as many as possible. (lexical error)

T: Well, you use the verb “to speak” to indicate the word can be classified as an uncountable noun. Therefore, you should say “to speak as 

much as possible.”  Would you please repeat the correct sentence? (metalinguistic feedback)S: The most important thing is to speak as much as possible. (repair)

5. Elicitation

S: A greeting is a way of being friend to someone. (syntactical error)

T: A way of being what? (elicitation)

S: A way of being friendly to someone. (repair)

6. Repetition

S: People learn throughout their entire lives. They always have learn to break limits and learn more (syntactical error)

T: They always have learn? Have learn? (repetition with rising intonation)S: They always learn to break limits and learn more (repair)

Based on these examples, we have learned that the choice of OCF type depends on factors like context, the nature of the error, and the desired learning outcomes. Explicit correction is used when teachers want to immediately draw attention to an error and provide the correct form clearly and directly. Recast is subtly integrated into conversations, where teachers rephrase students’ utterances without explicitly pointing out errors.  Clarification requests address misunderstanding, providing indications for the students and to improve learning outcomes. Metalinguistic feedback guides students to self-correct by offering grammatical rules or other explicit information related to language forms. Elicitation is incorporated through completion prompts, questions, or requests for students to reformulate their statements. Finally, repetition is employed by echoing incorrect sentences to emphasize errors and promote students’ awareness of errors.

To sum up, it makes sense for students in EFL lessons to receive feedback in both written and oral forms to improve their communication skills. Feedback is a powerful instructional tool that helps students achieve greater proficiency, accuracy, and confidence in both their spoken and written English language skills.

References