VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ PHƢƠNG CHI STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES FOR AND RESPONSES TO TEACHER WRITTEN FEEDBACK ON GRAMMATICAL ERRORS: A CASE STUDY AT LE QUY DON PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOL (Sự yêu thích và phản hồi của học sinh về phương pháp chữa lỗi ngữ pháp của giáo viên: Một nghiên cứu điển hình tại trường Tiểu học Dân lập Lê Quý Đôn, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 M.A course: 19 HANOI, 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST- GRADUATE STUDIES TRẦN THỊ PHƢƠNG CHI STUDENTS’ PREFERENCES FOR AND RESPONSES TO TEACHER WRITTEN FEEDBACK ON GRAMMATICAL ERRORS: A CASE STUDY AT LE QUY DON PRIVATE PRIMARY SCHOOL (Sự yêu thích và phản hồi của học sinh về phương pháp chữa lỗi ngữ pháp của giáo viên: Một nghiên cứu điển hình tại trường Tiểu học Dân lập Lê Quý Đôn, Hà Nội) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 601410 M.A course: 19 Supervisor: Pham Minh Tam, M.Ed HANOI, 2013 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com i DECLARATION I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “Students’ Preferences for and Responses to Teacher Written Feedback on Grammatical Errors: A Case Study at Le Quy Don Private Primary School” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University - Hanoi and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any other university or tertiary institution. Hanoi, May 2013 Signature Trần Thị Phƣơng Chi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ii ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the fit between teachers’ written feedback on grammatical errors and the students’ preferences and strategies for handling the feedback on their written works in a primary school in Hanoi. The study used a triangulation of participants and methods in which the practice of feedback was seen from the perspectives of students and teachers. Data were collected from students’ worksheets, questionnaires and interviews.
Firstly, worksheets of 25 fourth-graders marked by two teachers were collected in order to work out the teacher’s feedback types on grammatical errors. Participants were then asked to fill in the questionnaires concerning their feedback preferences. Finally, semi- structured interviews were employed to seek for students’ responses to the feedback they received. The results indicated that students’ preferences for teacher feedback vary from class to class and the students’ strategies for handling feedback varied depending on the type of feedback each teacher gave on the students’ paper.
Key words: teacher written feedback, grammatical errors, preferences, responses, English as a foreign language LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In completing this thesis, I owe my particular debt of gratitude to a great number of people. First and foremost, I am deeply grateful to my supervisor, Ms. Pham Minh Tam who has always been ready and willing to help me make the study possible. She has put enormous effort into editing and providing valuable comments.
I would not have completed this study without her help and encouragement. My thanks also go to all teachers at the Faculty of Post-Graduate studies, University of Languages and International studies, VNU- Hanoi. It is their precious lectures and instructions as well as valuable suggestions that help me understand issues related to my study and teaching. I would also like to thank the authors of the books and studies that I have consulted in order to understand and investigate my research problem.
Last but not least, I must record my deep gratitude to all members in my family. It is their enduring love, care, support and encouragement that help me finish this study. LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration i Abstract ii Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 Statement of the Problem and Rationale for the Study 1 1.2 Objectives of the Study 3 1.4 Scope of the Study 3 1.5 Methodology of the Study 4 1.6 Significance of the Study 4 1.7 Organization of the Study 5 Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definitions of Language Errors 6 2.2 Classification of Language Errors 7 2.4 Approaches to Error Correction 11 2.2 The Role of Written Feedback 2.1 Error Correction as Focus-on-Form Intervention 13 2.2 Error Correction to Facilitate Noticing 14 2.3 Teacher Written Feedback on Grammatical Errors 2.1 Definitions of Teacher Written Feedback 14 2.2 Classification of Written Feedback 14 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.3 Error Correction Codes 16 2.4 Students’ Preferences and Responses for Teacher Feedback 17 2.5 Related Studies 18 Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.5 Data Collection Instruments 25 3.3 Semi - structured Interviews 28 3.6 Data Collections Procedure 29 3.7 Data Analysis Procedure 30 3.8 Validity and Reliability of Data Chapter 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 4.2 Discussion 38 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary of the Study 40 5.3 Limitations of the Study.4 Recommendations for Further Research 44 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com vi REFERENCES 45 APPENDIXES Appendix A: Types of Written Feedback 50 Appendix B: Types of Grammatical Errors 51 Appendix C: Sample worksheet marked by Teacher A 52 Appendix D: Sample worksheet marked by Teacher B 53 Appendix E: Interview Question (English version) 54 Appendix F: Interview Question (Vietnamese version) 55 Appendix G: Questions for Interview (English version) 56 Appendix H: Questions for Interview (Vietnamese version) 56 TABLES LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 1 Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION This chapter begins with the presentation of the statement of the problem and rationale for the study. Next, it presents the aims and scopes of the study as well as the research questions to which the study seeks to find answers.
This is followed by a brief description of methodology used in the present study. Finally, the chapter concludes with a description of the organization of the thesis.1 Statement of the Problem and Rationale for the Study Teacher feedback has long been regarded as an essential part in language teaching and learning because it not only helps students to correct their own mistakes but also enhances more confidence about their language competences. Feedback may focus on either forms or contents or both. It was clearly seen that young learners of English as a foreign language often commit grammatical errors in their writing.
Therefore, teachers’ giving feedback on their errors is considered to be necessary for students’ proficiency. However, the effectiveness of feedback does not lie in itself but by many other factors such as students’ preferences for and responses to the teacher feedback. That is the reason why teachers need to take into account some questions: ―What feedback strategies does a teacher actually use when providing feedback on grammatical errors‖, ―Do students like their teachers’ feedback type?‖, ―How do they react when receiving feedback?‖ Up to now, studies of language education have given considerable attention to the issue of how to provide feedback on students’ writing (Diab, 2005, Wang, 2010; Katayama; 2007). Yet, the effectiveness of written feedback on grammatical errors has been under-explored (Russel, J.
Some attention has been given to investigate whether certain types of written feedback LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 2 may be more effective than the others, but the findings are not inclusive. Additionally, which feedback strategies would fit the needs of particular students is still questioned. Addressing these issues will require time and commitment of a number of researchers. The research being reported in this study contributes to the agenda by investigating the fit between teachers’ practices, students’ preferences and strategies for handling feedback on their written work.
Much as important written feedback on grammatical errors is, there have been few studies comprehensively dealing with the issue. There is also a lack of consensus over such matters as what feedback strategies is the most effective to correct grammatical errors in particular context, what feedback types are preferred by students and how students respond when they receive teacher feedback. Moreover, almost all of the feedback studies on students’ preferences and responses have been conducted in college/ university setting. Owing to the lack of consensus on the effectiveness of teacher feedback, this study aims to gain more insights into giving effective feedback by asking what students think, want and do after they receive teacher feedback.
There is a paucity of research that addresses the elementary context. In Vietnam, a focus on primary school students is important since they are those who have chances to access English as a foreign language from the very young ages (7-11). This study is an attempt to examine the real situation of written feedback on grammatical errors conducted at the Le Quy Don Private Primary School and to propose some suggestions for the betterment of the current practice. As most of the past studies have pursued the inquiry of teacher feedback in two general ways, namely students’ preferences for teacher feedback (Hedgcock & Lefkowitz, 1994; Hiroko, 1994; Leiki, 1999) and students’ responses to teacher feedback (Cohen,1987; Ferris, 1995, Chiang, 2004), this study follow the similar traits and attempts to find out how students perceive LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 3 teacher feedback, what they are concerned about, and what they do after receiving teacher feedback.2 Objectives of the Study This research is conducted for the following purposes: 1.
To explore the teachers’ written feedback types in respond to students’ grammatical errors. To investigate the students’ preferences towards different types of feedback 3. To find out the students’ strategies for handling feedback after they have received their written work 1.3 Research Questions This study is conducted to answer the following research questions: 1. What are the types of teacher written feedback on the students’ grammatical errors? 2.
What are the students’ preferences for different types of teacher feedback on grammatical errors? 3. How do students handle the feedback they receive? 1.4 Scope of the Study This study limits itself to the exploration of the types of written feedback on grammatical errors that were commonly used by the teachers in the study, the students’ preferences for and responses to each feedback type. Alternative types such as oral corrective feedback by teachers and peer-to-peer feedback from the students are beyond the scope of this study. The impact of teacher feedback on learners’ proficiency is also not the objective of the study.
LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com 4 The present research was conducted at a private primary school in Hanoi, with two teachers and two classes of young learners enrolled in Let’s Go 4 course. Teachers and students in classes that are not in primary school system are outside the scope of this study.5 Methodology of the Study This is a case study with the presence of two teachers and two groups of students. The teachers were teaching English to fourth-graders at Le Quy Don Private Primary School in Hanoi. Data were then analyzed by means of descriptive statistics to identify the patterns of feedback employed by the teachers.
The students’ preferences were elicited through the questionnaires and students’ responses to teacher feedback on grammatical errors were collected from teacher’s interviews.6 Significance of the Study Providing feedback involves in teachers’ regular practice. Feedback, as a means of communication from the teachers, needs the responses from the learners in order to enhance its efficacy. Consequently, the link between teachers’ practice of giving feedback, students’ preferences and students’ responses in primary school context are taken into account in this study. Feedback provides students with the information on their performance and learning progress.
Therefore, it is important to know the feedback types preferred by the young learners in the primary language classroom. Additionally, it offers teachers of English a number of pedagogical implications in terms of written grammar correction to the learners in this context.