A Study On In-class Oral Error Correction For Non-English Majors In A Chinese Context

This thesis"A Study on In-class Oral Error Correction for Non-English Majors in a Chinese Context"explores teachers'and students'views on error correction in oral English classroom as well as the actual practice of in-class oral English error correction. The focus of the present study is to know teachers'conceptions and practice on error correction, and students'ability of self-correction in oral English classroom as well. Three instruments (i.e. classroom observation, interview, and questionnaire survey) are employed to address the following issues: the current situation of in-class oral English error correction; teachers'conceptions on error correction;the ways teachers take for error correction; learners'perspectives and expectations on error correction; and learners'awareness and ability of self-correction.The major findings of the present study are briefly summarized as follows:First, teachers have their own conceptions on error correction in oral English classroom; however, their conceptions on when, how and who to do error correction are unmatched with the actual practice, and which may affect the effectiveness of in-class oral error correction. Thus, the author holds that teachers may reconstruct their conceptions on error correction and try to achieve the unity of knowing and doing.Second, teachers use recasts most to do error correction in oral English class with few other techniques. The reason is that they think this way is effective under the circumstance of time constrain. But there is one positive point—that is, they can take students'different traits into consideration. In order to do error correction effectively, the author suggests that teachers may combine some techniques together to do error correction in oral English classroom, and if possible, teachers may collect the oral errors and do error correction together after students'speeches in the classroom.Third, students have their views and expectations on error correction, but they have got used to depending on their teachers, hence, they take for granted that their teachers should do error correction in oral English classroom. Therefore, the author suggests that teachers should enhance their awareness and ability to do self-correction in oral English classroom. To achieve the effectiveness, teachers may share the responsibility to do in-class oral English error correction with their students.