Students’ preferences for and responses to teacher written feedback on grammatical errors a case study at le quy don private primary school

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 phản hồi học sinh phương pháp chữa lỗi ngữ pháp giáo viên: Một nghiên cứu điển hình 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 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 phản hồi học sinh phương pháp chữa lỗi ngữ pháp giáo viên: Một nghiên cứu điển hình 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 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 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, semistructured 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 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 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 1.2 Objectives of the Study 1.3 Research Questions 1.4 Scope of the Study 1.5 Methodology of the Study 1.6 Significance of the Study 1.7 Organization of the Study Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Language Errors 2.1.1 Definitions of Language Errors 2.1.2 Classification of Language Errors 2.1.3 Grammatical Errors 2.1.4 Approaches to Error Correction 11 2.2 The Role of Written Feedback 2.2.1 Error Correction as Focus-on-Form Intervention 13 2.2.2 Error Correction to Facilitate Noticing 14 2.3 Teacher Written Feedback on Grammatical Errors 2.3.1 Definitions of Teacher Written Feedback 14 2.3.2 Classification of Written Feedback 14 v 2.3.3 Error Correction Codes 16 2.4 Students’ Preferences and Responses for Teacher Feedback 17 2.5 Related Studies 18 Chapter 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Research Context 3.1.1 Curriculum Policy 21 3.1.2 The Case 22 3.2 Research Questions 23 3.3 Research Approach 23 3.4 Participants 24 3.5 Data Collection Instruments 25 3.5.1 Documentation 26 3.5.2 Questionnaire 27 3.5.3 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 4.1 Results 4.1.1 Research Question 31 4.1.2 Research Question 32 4.1.3 Research Question 35 4.2 Discussion 38 Chapter 5: CONCLUSION 5.1 Summary of the Study 40 5.2 Pedagogical Implications 40 5.3 Limitations of the Study 43 5.4 Recommendations for Further Research 44 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 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 1.1 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 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.M 2003) Some attention has been given to investigate whether certain types of written feedback 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 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 49 Lee, I (2004) Error correction in L2 secondary writing classrooms: The case of Hong Kong Journal of Second language Writing, 13, 285-312 Leki, I (1991) The preferences of ESL students for error correction in collegelevel writing classes Foreign Language Annals, 24, 203–218 Long, M (1991) Focus on form: A design feature in language teaching methodology In K de Bot, R B Ginsberg, & C Kramsch (Eds.), Foreign language research in cross-cultural perspective (pp 39– 52) Amsterdam: Benjamins Lyster, R 1998 ―Recasts, repetition, and ambiguity in L2 classroom discourse‖ Studies in Second Language Acquisition 20(1): 51-81 Matveev, A (2002) The advantages of employing quantitative and qualitative methods in intercultural research: Practical implications from the study of the perceptions of intercultural communication competence by American and Russian managers Retrieved on March 9, 2009 from http://www.russcomm.ru/eng/rca_biblio/m/matveev01_eng.shtml Merriam, S (1998) Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc Publishers Nunan, D (1999) Second language teaching and learning Boston: Heinle & Heinle Publishers Radecki, P M & Swales, J M (1988) ESL student reaction to written comments on their written work System, 16(3), 355-365 Raimes, A (1991) Out of the woods: Emerging traditions in the teaching of writing TESOL Quarterly, 25, 407-430 Saiko, H (1994) Teachers Practices and Students’ Preferences for Feedback on Second Language Writing: A case study of Adult ESL Learners TESL Canada Journal.11(2), 46-70 50 Sheen, Y (2009) Differential effects of focused and unfocused written correction on the accurate use of grammatical forms by adult esl learners System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 37(4) Stake, R E (1995) The Art of Case Study Research Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Van Lier (1988) The classroom and the language learner New York: Longman Yin, R K (2003) Case study research: Design and methods (3rd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Zamel, V (1985) Responding to student writing TESOL Quarterly, 19, 79– 97 51 I APPENDIX A Types of Written Feedback Type of Explanation Example error feedback Direct feedback  Locate and correct  Has went gone errors Indirect feedback  Locate errors (Direct location  Locate of errors) errors  Has went and  Has went verb form identify error types  Indirectly locate errors  Putting a mark in the margin to indicate an error on a specific line Indirect feedback (Indirect location of errors)  Indirectly locate errors  Writing ―verb form‖ and identify error type (or V‖) in the margin to indicate a verb form error on a specific line (adapted from Lee, 2003a) II APPENDIX B Types of Grammatical Errors Grammatical errors Verb errors Meanings Examples Errors in verb tense or - I meet her last week form Noun ending errors Noun ending errors -These book Ø are (plural or possessive) mine missing or wrong Article errors Article (a, an, the) or -There are much books other determiner (some, on the table any, much…) missing - I live in the Tabriz or wrong Wrong word All types of lexical - My mother learned me errors in word choice or how to ride a bike form, including - I was very interested preposition and at history pronoun errors Sentence Errors structure errors sentence/ relating to - My father took the clause bus Because the bank boundaries was not near Wrong word order - What you are doing? Omitting words or - I know Ø he is He is phrases from a sentence at the park Insertion of - The woman whom I unnecessary words or saw her was my III phrases teacher (adapted from Chaney (1990), Extracted from Ferris & Roberts, 2001, p.169) IV Appendix C Sample worksheet marked by Teacher A V Appendix D Sample worksheet marked by Teacher B VI APPENDIX E Survey Questionnaire Dear students, My name is Tran Thi Phuong Chi – an English teacher at Le Quy Don Private Primary school I am conducting this survey questionnaire in order to collect data for my MA minor thesis entitled „Students’ Preferences for and Responses to Teacher Written Feedback on Grammatical Errors: A Case Study at Le Quy Don Private Primary School” Your assistance in completing this questionnaire is highly appreciated Your name and details will not be disclosed in the final research report Part 1: Personal information: Form: Sex: _ Years of learning English: Part 2: Questionnaire Survey How important is it to you for your English teacher to give you comments on grammar? Very Quite important important Okay Not important Not important at all Directions: The following five sentences have the same error in English grammar Each sentence been corrected in various ways by different teachers Look over the different possible corrections and rate each one If you think, it is a very good way to provide corrective feedback on a grammatical error, circle If you think, it is a very bad way to provide corrective feedback on a grammatical error, circle If you think it is somewhere in between, circle the number between and that best represents your opinion goes He go to the cinema every Friday  Under/ circle errors and provide corrections He go to the cinema every Friday  Good Bad Neither good or bad Very bad 5 5 Underline / circle errors He go to the cinema every Friday (verb form)  Very good Underline / circle errors and categorized them He go to the cinema every Friday   Give me a hint about my errors VII He go to the cinema every Friday (Tense)  Give me a hint about errors and categorise the errors Thank you very much for your cooperation! APPENDIX F PHIẾU ĐIỀU TRA Các thân mến, Cô Trần Thị Phương Chi, giáo viên Tiếng Anh trường Tiểu học Dân lập Lê Quý Đôn Cô thực luận văn nghiên cứu “Sở thích phản hồi học sinh phương pháp chữa lỗi ngữ pháp giáo viên” Cô mong đồng ý trả lời câu hỏi phiếu Tất thông tin cá nhân ý kiến bảo mật tuyệt đối  Phần 1: Thông tin cá nhân Lớp: Giới tính: Số năm học tiếng Anh: Phần 2: Câu hỏi điều tra Con thấy việc giáo viên chữa ngữ pháp quan trọng nào: Rất quan trọng Khá quan trọng Cũng tốt Không quan Không cần thiết trọng 5 Hướng dẫn: Năm câu có chung lỗi ngữ pháp tiếng Anh giáo viên có cách sửa khác Em đọc kỹ cách sửa đánh giá chúng Nếu em cho cách sửa lỗi ngữ pháp hay khoanh số Nếu em thấy cách sửa em khơng hài lịng khoanh vào số Nếu có ý kiến khác, em lựa chọn số lại để thể ý kiến em Very good  Gạch chân/ khoanh vào lỗi sai sửa goes He go to the cinema every Friday  Gạch chân/ khoanh vào lỗi sai Good Neither good or bad 2 Bad Very bad 5 He go to the cinema every Friday  Gạch chân / khoanh vào lỗi sai phân loại lỗi He go to the cinema every Friday (verb form) VIII  Đánh dấu lề vào dịng có lỗi sai cách 5 (vd: dấu x …) He go to the cinema every Friday   Đưa dấu hiệu dịng có lỗi sai phân loại lỗi He go to the cinema every Friday (T) Cảm ơn hợp tác! IX APPENDIX G Questions for Interview What you usually after you read your teacher’s comment on grammatical errors? Can you explain your choice? Do you have any problems in understanding your teacher feedback? If yes, can you specify them? APPENDIX H Câu hỏi vấn Em thường làm đọc nhận xét cô giáo phiếu ngữ pháp cuối tuần? Em giải thích lý do? Em có khó khăn đọc nhận xét giáo viên khơng? Nếu có, giải thích rõ? X TABLES Table 1: Teacher Feedback Strategies on Grammatical Errors Feedback strategies Teacher A Teacher B Frequency Percent Frequency Percent F Direct feedback 334 79.5% 35 11.2% G Indirect, uncoded feedback 26 6.2% 186 59.6% H Indirect, coded feedback 0.7% 0% 7.6% 82 26.3% 6% 2.9% 100% 312 100 I Indirect prompting of error 32 location by marks (e.g., a cross) J Indirect prompting error location 25 by correction codes Total 420 Table Q4: How important is it for your English teacher to give you comments on grammar? Responses Group A Group B Average Percentage Very important 40% 53.3% 46.7% Quite important 33.3% 40% 36.7% Okay 26.7% 6.7% 16.7% Not important 0% 0% 0% Total 100% 100% 100% Table Q3: How often you read over your worksheet when your teacher returns it to you? Responses Always Usually Sometimes Not very often Never Total Class A (15) 7% 0% 20% 74% 0% 100% Class B (13) 23% 15 % 31% 31% 0% 100% Average Percentage 14% 7% 26% 53% 0% 100% XI XII Table 4: Students’ Preferences for Feedback on Grammatical Errors Types of written feedback Indirect, uncoded Indirect, coded Indirect Indirect feedback feedback feedback prompting of prompting error error location by location by marks (e.g., a correction codes Responses Direct cross) A B A B A B A B A B (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (F) (F) (F) (F) (F) (F) (F) (F) (F) (F) Very good/ 80% 76.9% 53.3% 92.3% 13.3% 38.4 26.7% 38.5% 33.3% 23.1% good (12) (10) (8) (12) (2) % (4) (5) (5) (3) (5) Neither 0% 7.7% 0% 0% 6.7% 46.2 13.3% 7.7% 13.3% 15.4% good nor (0) (1) (0) (0) (1) % (2) (1) (2) (2) bad Very bad/ Bad (6) 20% 15.4% 46.7% 7.7% 80% 15.4 60% 53.8% 53.4% 61.5% (3) (2) (7) (1) (12) % (9) (7) (8) (8) (2) Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% (15) (13) (15) (13) (15) (13) (15) (13) (15) (13) ... 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. .. their manifestation Lee (1990, p.50), for instance, elaborates on the following classification of learner errors: Types of errors Explanation Grammatical Stress the need for grammatical accuracy... Translation Method and Communicative Language Teaching are listed in the table below: Grammar-Translation Method Communicative Language Teaching Learner Roles     Try to learn grammatical rules