Tony Lynch

University of Edinburgh

Feedback in SLA (Lyster & Ranta 1997)

Explicit correction Recast Clarification request Metalinguistic feedback Elicitation Repetition

“recasts and negotiation may benefit L2 development in different ways, for example through positive evidence or corrective feedback or different response types… It is also possible that different types of interactional feedback promote learning through focusing attention in different ways”.

(Mackey 2006: 425)

What’s the point?

“ The goal is to ensure that the learner notices a difference between his or her own utterance and the target form”

(Lightbown 1998: 193)

Sample performances

Scenario: Asking for an essay extension

NS pair: English ‘tutor’ and Scottish ‘student’

NNS pair: Chinese ‘tutor’ and Portuguese ‘student’

(Anderson, Maclean & Lynch, 2004)

 Possible comparators

A. T’s comments on pairs (from notes) B . Video of one class pair C. T’s comments on that pairD. Audio of two competent NNSsE. Audio of two British speakers F. Transcript of NNS audio DG. Transcript of NS audio E

Perceptions of usefulness

0

50

100

A B C D E F G

S1

Timing of external comparators

0

20

40

60

80

D E F G

Pre

Post

Learners’ comments on their choices

Any recordings pre-task? NO`If those materials are used before

students practice, their thought will be confined to the content in the tape. After students play, they will compare difference between their talk and talk in tape, so learn more.

(L1 Chinese)

Recordings pre-task? YES

The reason is really simple…because language learning is a process of emulating. Students who have listened seriously to the audio will be able to use similar good words in the specific and vivid situation with the same context, consciously or unconsciously.

(L1 Chinese)

NS recordings? NO

The material with British speakers would be more useful at a basic level…But once the student is at a more advanced level, it is more useful to have contact with material with non-native speakers, to develop confidence and to see how a non-native speaker manages the process.

(L1 Spanish)

NNS recordings? NO

I don’t see the point in having a foreign student as spoken reference… It would be more useful to have different British accents, because it shows what are the invariance in pronunciation that are important to stress.

(L1 Japanese)

NNS pre-task; NS post-task

I would first use material from foreign students, so that students get an idea of what is expected of them. I would use material from British people after, so they see the difference… Also, having British material last leaves it in the memory of the students and they are likely to remember only the correct pronunciation.

(L1 Italian)

NS pre-task; NNS post-task

The materials of British people should be used before the students do the paired role-play, so that students have the model to learn from and imitate.

The materials of foreign people should be used as examples after, so that students can discuss the mistakes made by themselves and the foreign people.

(L1 Chinese)

Perceptions of comparators

NS recordings: ‘spoken reference’, ‘correct’, ‘model’, ‘the answer’, ‘ideal conversation’ and ‘pattern’NNS recordings: ‘how to make ourselves understood’, ‘closer examples’, ‘how non-native speakers manage the

process’,‘an idea of what is expected’

Issues arising

For task designers and teachers: Can we accommodate individual feedback preferences through alternative sequences within tasks?

For researchers :How can we investigate the effectiveness of alternative forms and timing of feedback?