Exploring teacher written feedback in EFL writing classrooms: Beliefs and practices in interaction

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110576
Author(s):  
Xiaolong Cheng ◽  
Lawrence Jun Zhang ◽  
Qiaozhen Yan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Comprehensive Approach ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Efl Writing ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Feedback Strategies

As an important instructional affordance, teacher written feedback is widely used in second language (L2) writing contexts. While copious evidence has shown that such a pedagogical practice can facilitate L2 learners’ writing performance, especially their writing accuracy, little is known about how novice writing teachers conceptualize and enact written feedback in contexts of English as a foreign language (EFL). To fill this gap, we examined four novice writing teachers’ espoused written feedback beliefs and their actual practices in Chinese tertiary EFL writing classrooms. Based on data from semi-structured interviews and students’ writing samples, we found that they adopted a comprehensive approach to feedback provision, and were most concerned with errors in language, particularly grammar when providing feedback. These teachers almost reached a consensus in their beliefs about feedback scope and feedback focus, but they held varying beliefs about feedback strategies. Additionally, this study revealed the complexity of belief-practice relationships, in terms of the coexistence of consistencies and inconsistencies. Specifically, these teachers’ beliefs paralleled their practices in feedback scope, but their beliefs and practices mismatched with regard to feedback focus and feedback strategies. This article concludes with a discussion of the important pedagogical implications.

scholarly journals Task-based language teaching in a local EFL context: Chinese university teachers’ beliefs and practices

2021 ◽  
pp. 136216882110442
Author(s):  
Yuying Liu ◽  
Wei Ren
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Weak Version ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Teacher Student ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Gap Data

This study examines university teachers’ beliefs and practices related to task-based language teaching while teaching English as a foreign language. Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has become a prominent topic for researchers and practitioners in recent decades. It is also advocated by the Chinese Ministry of Education for college English teaching. However, few studies have investigated local EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers’ perceptions of and difficulties in implementing TBLT. This study aims to fill this gap. Data were collected via 12 semi-structured interviews, and the results revealed that the Chinese EFL teachers employed a weak version of the approach, i.e. the task-supported language teaching approach. They tended towards a student-centred teacher–student relationship. These findings suggest that the role of traditional Chinese values in influencing the implementation of TBLT has been overemphasized. Implications for the sustainable development of teaching pedagogy and professional learning are discussed.

CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES OF INDIRECT WRITTEN FEEDBACK IN HIGH SCHOOL CONTEXT

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-73
Author(s):  
Yessi Widyasari ◽  
Yella Dezas Perdani ◽  
Gita Rahmi
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
School Context ◽  
Written Feedback ◽  
Coding System ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Writing Ability ◽  
Feedback Strategies ◽  
Problem Solvers

Indirect written feedback is crucial to be conducted since errors are unavoidable in the process of writing. However, many studies have been undertaken in university contexts. Thus, this qualitative case study was carried out to examine a teacher's indirect written feedback practices in senior high school context. The data were obtained from observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews through purposive sampling. The findings revealed that coded feedback was mainly used, supplemented by uncoded feedback and commentary. These imply that the coding system is effective in guiding the students to be problem solvers and independent writers. However, the teacher's inconsistency in giving codes emerged because of the use of a large number of codes. Thus, it is suggested to reduce the number of codes and provide sufficient activity to increase students' understanding of the codes. The results of the study are significant to help teachers adjust appropriate methods to teach writing. The results also give long-term benefits for the development of students' writing ability. For further research, it is important to analyze the effect of indirect written feedback strategies on the students' revisions as well as students' preferences on these strategies.

scholarly journals Oral Corrective Feedback: Investigating Kurdish High School Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 115
Author(s):  
Yaseen Alzeebaree ◽  
Hussein Ali Ahmed ◽  
Idrees Ali Hasan
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Corrective Feedback ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Oral Corrective Feedback ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Academic Qualifications ◽  
The Relationship

The current research explores the relationship between the beliefs and the actual classroom practices of the Kurdish teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) regarding oral corrective feedback (OCF). To collect the data required, a questionnaire was administered to 8 Kurdish teachers of EFL of different academic qualifications from three different schools, and likewise a 5-hour audio-recorded classroom observation was carried out with the same sample. The findings revealed that almost all teachers’ beliefs were identical with their actual practices with regard to who should provide OCF. In contrast, there was a discrepancy between their stated beliefs and practices in classroom regarding the timing of OCF, how to provide OCF and which types of errors to correct. The teachers highlighted the importance and the effectiveness of providing corrective feedback in EFL settings.

scholarly journals Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices Regarding Assessment in English as a Foreign Language Classrooms in Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Ha ◽  
Nam Tran ◽  
Ngoc Tran
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Curriculum Innovation ◽  
High School English ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Intended Curriculum ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Language Classrooms

Task-based language teaching (TBLT) has generated worldwide popularity as a curriculum innovation, and extensive research has investigated various aspects of the approach. However, little is known about the implementation of classroom assessment in TBLT curricula. This study investigated high school English as a foreign language teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding assessment in a curriculum innovation context in Vietnam. Data comprised in-depth interviews with six teachers, as well as testing documents. The findings revealed a strong impact of the high-stakes exams on teachers’ testing beliefs in that they focused explicitly on linguistic items in the assessed content and forms of assessment. These beliefs were accurately reflected in their testing practices. However, both the teachers’ beliefs and practices were contradictory to teaching principles and the expectations of the intended curriculum. These findings suggest that in-service teacher professional development programs are necessary for innovations like TBLT to have a real change in the classroom.

scholarly journals Teachers' Beliefs and Practices Regarding Young Children's Leadership: A Comparison Between New Zealand and Honduras

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Maria Auxiliadora Cerrato Corrales
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Leadership Role ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs

<p>The main purpose of this comparative study was to explore how teachers of four to five year old children in New Zealand and Honduras translate their beliefs regarding children’s leadership into practice. This study has the potential to increase our understanding of beliefs and practices that will assist teachers in supporting children’s leadership. The study used a comparative case-study design in order to look at similarities and differences between the two cases, focusing on two early childhood centres from low socio-economic areas in the capital cities of each country. Two teachers from each centre were asked to be participants in the study. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and documentation. The findings suggest that both New Zealand and Honduran teachers translate their beliefs regarding children’s leadership into practice. However, the findings showed significant differences between New Zealand teachers’ child-directed and Honduran teachers’ teacher-directed beliefs and practices. The teachers in the New Zealand settings encourage leadership by empowering the children to deliberately take a leadership role, while the teachers in the Honduran settings encourage leadership by allocating opportunities for the children to take a leadership role. In addition, the teachers in New Zealand highlighted their belief and practice concerning children sharing leadership, while the concept of sharing leadership was not emphasized by the Honduran teachers. This study suggests the importance of teachers reflecting on their beliefs regarding children’s leadership and how these guide their teaching practice in order to support children’s leadership.</p>

scholarly journals Vocational High School Teachers' Beliefs on Teaching Speaking Skills in English as a Foreign Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-346
Author(s):  
Khairunnisa Khairunnisa ◽  
Dadang Sudana ◽  
Rojab Siti Rodliyah
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
High School Teachers ◽  
Teaching Strategy ◽  
Vocational High School ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
English Speaking

Before improving and developing the best method for teaching speaking in vocational schools, teachers' beliefs and beliefs should be unpacked to know how far the understanding of them. This article presents a case study that examined vocational school teachers' beliefs and practices to do teach as a foreign language, especially speaking comprehension. Based on the case study, four teachers were asked to fill the questionnaire to get the information about their beliefs; forty students were confirming the practices of those beliefs in the classroom through questionnaires. Findings unfolded English teachers' views related to their roles, the students' positions, the effective English speaking teaching, the language used in the classroom, and the goals of teaching speaking. Based on the students' statement, the convergence of educators' beliefs to practices arrived at half of the teachers. The study results give teachers implications for constructing valid thoughts and provides an overview for stakeholders to decide an efficient teaching strategy.

scholarly journals Assessing Teachers’ Beliefs and Practices in Relation to the Integration of Grammar and Reading in Foreign Language Teaching in Secondary Schools in Ethiopia

Afrika Focus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-23
Author(s):  
Gemechis T. Chali ◽  
Kimberley Mouvet ◽  
Miriam Taverniers
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Data Gathering ◽  
Foreign Language Teaching ◽  
Language Teachers ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs

Studies have suggested that teachers’ beliefs have a significant influence in language teaching (e.g., Williams and Burden, 1997), i.e. that teachers’ beliefs will significantly influence their teaching practice. This study examines teachers’ beliefs and practices in relation to the integration of grammar and reading in foreign language teaching. A qualitative research design with Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and observation data gathering tools was employed. The study revealed that teachers hold positive beliefs on teaching grammar and reading in an integrated way, but their beliefs were not reflected in the classroom. The key finding of this paper was that teachers strongly believed in the usefulness of the integration of grammar and reading, but there were difficulties to reflect it in practice. This paper suggests that an alternative technique should be developed on discrete ways of teaching to allow teachers to practise their beliefs either on the existing text or through adapting the textbook. The findings of the study may have important implications for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers and practitioners.

scholarly journals Πρακτικές και αντιλήψεις εκπαιδευτικών για την προώθηση του εγγραμματισμού σε πολύγλωσσα εκπαιδευτικά περιβάλλοντα: Το παράδειγμα ενός νηπιαγωγείου

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Georgia-Vasiliki Serifi ◽  
Eleni Triantafyllopoulou ◽  
Maria Sfyroera
Keyword(s):  
Instructional Practices ◽  
Theoretical Orientation ◽  
Kindergarten Teachers ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Current Survey ◽  
Children's Literacy

The purpose of the current study is to investigate and highlight teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding the promotion of children’s literacy in a multicultural and multilingual environment. The research focuses on two kindergarten classrooms at a school located in the center of Athens. More specifically, the goals of this study were a) to compare the stated practices of the participating kindergarten teachers with their observed practices in the classroom context b) to establish whether the teachers’ theoretical orientation is consistent in practice with their adopted methods and c) to determine the extent to which those methods are adapted to the respective educational setting. The theoretical framework of the current survey follows the contemporary pedagogical approach to literacy. The following research materials are used: a) the observation and recording of teachers’ instructional practices, b) observation checklists pertaining to the students’ oral and written communication skills, completed directly by the teachers and analyzed in this research to examine the extent to which the teachers are aware of the particularities of their classes and c) semi-structured interviews that enable sound comparisons between the teachers’ convictions and instruction methods. The findings of this study show that both kindergarten teachers employ traditional methods of literacy in most of their instructional practices, even though they espouse -at least partially- modern pedagogical approaches, as revealed by the interviews. In addition, the checklists demonstrate that the teachers do not have a clear understanding of their classes’ unique characteristics, which could be one of the reasons for the observed inconsistency between teachers’ beliefs and practices.

scholarly journals Formative assessment and feedback in the primary classroom: An interplay between teachers' beliefs and practices

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Prema Shoba Perumanathan
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Professional Learning ◽  
Classroom Practice ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Formative Feedback ◽  
Learning And Development ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Collegial Support ◽  
Teachers Beliefs ◽  
Feedback Strategies

<p>This study explores the interplay between teachers’ beliefs and practices in understanding and implementing formative assessment and feedback to enhance student learning. Particularly, it explores teachers’ conceptions of effective formative feedback strategies, and the role they should play in their classroom practice. The context for this investigation was writing lessons in three primary classrooms, and included examination of three cases of primary teachers in the greater Wellington Region, New Zealand. Sadler’s (1989) theory of effective formative assessment and feedback provided the theoretical framework informing both data collection method and the analysis of data. Analysis of classroom observations, teaching documents and field notes revealed that teachers have adopted many strategies associated with good feedback practice. It was revealed, however, that the influence of teachers’ beliefs in the implementation and enactment of formative feedback and the interplay of their beliefs and practices affected their practices. These teachers’ conception and beliefs on how formative feedback should be practiced varied, as did their assumptions about their students’ abilities. These inconsistencies were further influenced by a range of contextual factors, including the diversity of students’ needs, differing collegial support, the structure of school writing programmes, teachers’ limited professional development and/or learning about formative assessment and feedback, and teachers’ learning having been undertaken in an era that favoured behaviourist practices. This research revealed the need for the provision of ongoing professional learning and development in writing instructions and formative assessment and feedback strategies. This would address the apparent inconsistencies between teachers’ conceptions and beliefs regarding effective formative assessment and feedback and their practices. As a result, this would help to promote Sadler’s (1989) formative assessment and feedback strategies to achieve more effective classroom teaching and learning practice. Implications for teachers, schools and professional learning and development are outlined and suggestions for further research included.</p>

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