Sammendrag
The value of written and oral corrective feedback for the development of metalinguistic knowledge has been acknowledged in the research literature for decades. Yet, teachers in English as a foreign language teacher education programs know little about student-teachers’ perceptions of meaningful grammar feedback. Thus, the aim of the present qualitative case study is to analyse student-teachers’ reasons for favouring certain feedback types and modes and the role of such feedback in their learning ecologies. Data were first collected through the analysis of two literary essays written by 12 student teachers at a university college in Western Norway. The lecturer provided written and oral conference feedback only on the first essays (phase 1). Finally, we carried out two pilot, ten in-depth and four member check interviews (phase 2). Both essays were used as stimulated recall during these interviews. This article is primarily based on phase 2. Theories on agency and learning ecologies were integrated with feedback and language development theories. Surprisingly, all students liked unfocused and direct feedback because they expected feedback to be like real-world writing with a high degree of accuracy. Furthermore, the findings indicate a generally high appreciation of metalinguistic feedback because it helped them know the true causes of the errors. The findings demonstrate the importance of a varied use of feedback types and modes, which create important moments in student-teachers’ learning trajectories. The described case may function as an inspiring example of exemplary practice for teachers and teacher educators who wish to develop their feedback practices.
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