VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN BÍCH HIỀN 11th GRADERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THEIR TEACHERS’ WRITTEN FEEDBACK (Thái độ của học sinh lớp 11 đối với phản hồi dưới dạng viết của giáo viên) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Hanoi, 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN BÍCH HIỀN 11th GRADERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS THEIR TEACHERS’ WRITTEN FEEDBACK (Thái độ của học sinh lớp 11 đối với phản hồi dưới dạng viết của giáo viên) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisors: Assoc.Dr Le Van Canh Hanoi, 2016 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP I, NGUYỄN BÍCH HIỀN, hereby certify that this thesis, which is entitled “11th graders’ attitudes towards their teachers’ written feedback” is entirely my own work in the fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. It has not been submitted for assessment at any other university.
Hanoi, 2016 Nguyễn Bić h Hiề n i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I am profoundly beholden to my supervisor, Assoc. Lê Văn Canh, for his great expertise and unfailing support, without which the thesis would not be completed. I owe a great debt of gratitude to all the lecturers of the Faculty of Post- Graduate Studies, Hanoi University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, whose transfer of knowledge to me has made me grow more professionally. I would like to express my sincere thanks to my course members for their sharing in times of uncertainty and for their giving my thesis a close reading.
My special thanks go to the English language teachers and students at Chu Van An Gifted High School of Lang Son Province for their cooperation during the data collection process. I am deeply indebted to my family members for their wholehearted backing all along the way. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT The study explores 11th graders‟ attitudes towards written corrective feedback in an English class. Data were collected by means of a Likert-scale questionnaire, which was administered to 314 students of 11 th grades, 38 of whom were English-specialising students and 276 of whom were non-English- specialising students.
The questionnaire elicited information on the students‟ attitudes towards teachers‟ utilisation of various corrective feedback types. Results show that the students had a positive attitude towards corrective feedback, be they English-specialising or non-English-specialising. The results of this study can be viewed as a valuable contribution to existing research findings in the realm of corrective feedback. Previous studies have examined the efficacy of particular corrective feedback types in certain educational environments.
This study provides unique findings from a unique learning environment, namely a high school for gifted students. The results presented in this paper support previous findings that in certain circumstances corrective feedback works. Additionally, the results reinforce the need to continue scholarship on corrective feedback and student perceptions of its use. The thesis concludes with some suggestions for teachers‟ implementation of written corrective feedback on their students‟ writings.
iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF TABLES. vi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
vii PART A: INTRODUCTION. Rationale of the Study. Aims of the Study, Research Questions and Scope of the Study. Aims of the Study.
Scope of the Study. Method of the Study. Significance of the Study. Structure of the Thesis.
5 Chapter I: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definitions of Feedback. Types of Feedback. Direct Corrective Feedback.
Indirect Corrective Feedback. Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback. Focused versus Unfocused Corrective Feedback. Effects of Corrective Feedback.
Students‟ Attitudes towards Teachers‟ Corrective Feedback. 14 CHAPTER II: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY. Data Collection Instrument. 18 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
18 Chapter III: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION. Teachers‟ Frequency of Use of Written Corrective Feedback. Teachers‟ Frequency of Use of Direct Corrective Feedback. Teachers‟ Frequency of Use of Indirect Corrective Feedback.
Teachers‟ Frequency of Use of Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback. Teachers‟ Frequency of Use of Unfocused Corrective Feedback. Teachers‟ Frequency of Use of Focused Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Preference for Teacher Corrective Feedback Types.
Students‟ Preference for Direct Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Preference for Indirect Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Preference for Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Preference for Unfocused Corrective Feedback.
Students‟ Preference for Focused Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Perception of Usefulness of Various Forms of Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Perception of Usefulness of Direct Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Perception of Usefulness of Indirect Corrective Feedback.
Students‟ Perception of Usefulness of Metalinguistic Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Perception of Usefulness of Unfocused Corrective Feedback. Students‟ Perception of Usefulness of Focused Corrective Feedback. Limitations and Suggestions for Further Study.
I v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES TABLES Page Table 1.1 A typology of written corrective feedback 7 Table 3.1 Students‟ self-reports on teachers‟ use of direct corrective feedback 20 techniques Table 3.2 Students‟ self-reports on teachers‟ use of indirect corrective feedback 22 techniques Table 3.3 Students‟ self-reports on the teachers‟ use of metalinguistic corrective 23 feedback techniques Table 3.4 Students‟ self-reports on teachers‟ use of unfocused corrective feedback 24 techniques Table 3.5 Students‟ self-reports on teachers‟ use of focused corrective feedback 25 techniques Table 3.6 Students‟ preference for direct corrective feedback techniques 26 Table 3.7 Students‟ preference for indirect corrective feedback techniques 27 Table 3.8 Students‟ preference for metalinguistic corrective feedback techniques 28 Table 3.9 Students‟ preference for unfocused corrective feedback techniques 29 Table 3.10 Students‟ preference for focused corrective feedback techniques 29 Table 3.11 Students‟ perception of usefulness of direct corrective feedback techniques 31 Table 3.12 Students‟ perception of usefulness of indirect corrective feedback techniques 32 Table 3.13 Students‟ perception of usefulness of metalinguistic corrective feedback 33 techniques Table 3.14 Students‟ perception of usefulness of unfocused corrective feedback 34 techniques Table 3.15 Students‟ perception of usefulness of focused corrective feedback techniques 35 vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS L2: Second language CF: Corrective Feedback WCF: Written Corrective Feedback EFL: English as a Foreign Language vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com PART A: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the Study Feedback has been acknowledged as an essential component in the learning cycle, providing stimuli for reflection and learner development. Alerting students to their strengths and weaknesses can provide the means by which they can assess their performance and make improvement to future work. Feedback is also described as an effective means of encouraging greater student autonomy (Kirkwood 2000).
Teacher feedback helps learners move from other- regulation provided by the teacher to self-regulation and greater independent control over target language forms. Despite the acknowledged benefits of teacher feedback, teachers do not always know whether and how their feedback is perceived by their students. Although a few studies have examined students‟ perspectives on written corrective feedback in general, very few have investigated students‟ perceptions about the specific feedback types they have received (Karim, 2015). As far as my knowledge is concerned, this issue has yet to be researched in the high school where I have been teaching.
This study, therefore, sought to address this matter. Using a questionnaire survey strategy, this study investigated the students‟ attitudes towards teachers‟ different types of written corrective feedback, their perceptions of the usefulness of teacher feedback to their learning to write in English. Also, the study is aimed at finding out whether the students‟ proficiency in English affects their attitudes and perceptions regarding teacher written feedback or not. In order to achieve the second purpose of the study, two different groups of 11th grade students, i.
English-specialising students and non-English-specialising students were selected. It was assumed that the former was more proficient in English than the latter. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Aims of the Study, Research Questions and Scope of the Study 2.
Aims of the Study This survey study was conducted at Chu Van An Gifted High School of Lang Son province with the participants being the 11th grade learners. The overall aim of this study is to explore how teachers tended to provide feedback on students‟ writings and the students‟ attitudes towards their teacher feedback. This information is to help teachers to better fulfil the students‟ expectations with regard to teacher written corrective feedback, thereby helping the students to improve their writing skills. The study is designed and conducted in an effort to achieve the following objectives: - To identify the common types of feedback that teachers provided on their students‟ writings as reported by the students; - To gain understanding of the students‟ attitudes towards their teachers‟ feedback on their writings as well as their opinion of the usefulness of teacher feedback to the development of their writing skills.
Research Questions In order to achieve the aims and objectives of the study as stated in 2., this study is designed and conducted to find answers to the following research questions: 1. What are the common types of corrective feedback that English language teachers provide on their students‟ writings according to the students‟ self- report? 2. What are the students‟ attitudes towards their teachers‟ feedback on their writings? 3. Is there any difference between two groups of students – English-specialising and non-English-specialising – regarding their attitudes towards their teachers‟ written corrective feedback types? 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Scope of the Study The study, as a survey study, limits itself to the investigation of the attitudes of the 11th graders at a gifted high school towards teacher written corrective feedback on their writings. It is not intended to examine the impact of teacher corrective feedback on the students‟ writings. Method of the Study In order to achieve the purpose of the study, which is to obtain the information about the students‟ attitudes towards teacher written corrective feedback, a questionnaire was used as the sole instrument of data collection. Participants‟ responses to the questionnaire were analysed quantitatively and tabulated to show the common patterns regarding the students‟ opinions of teacher written corrective feedback.
For analysis, the student responses to the questionnaire were categorised into (a) the frequency of teachers‟ use of written corrective feedback according to students‟ self-report, (b) their preferences for teacher written corrective feedback, and (c) their opinions of the usefulness of different types of corrective feedback. Since the number of the 11th graders at the school was not so great (N= 314), the questionnaire was administered to all of them, and the return rate was 100%. Significance of the Study The findings of the study will inform teachers at the researched school of what the students think about the way they provide feedback on their writings. While there is a lack of conclusive results in support of written corrective feedback in the literature, especially in particular whether one type of feedback is more effective than another, the information will help teachers to change the way they provide feedback if necessary in order that they can narrow the gap between their approaches to feedback and the students‟ expectations.
This may contribute to the improvement of students‟ writing skills. 3 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Structure of the Thesis The thesis is composed of three main parts as follows: Part A – Introduction – imparts information on the rationale of the study, the aims, the research questions, the scope, the methodology and the significance of the study. Also presented in this part is the organisation of the thesis.
Part B – Development – consists of three chapters.