Recast And Learner Uptake In Secondary EFL Classroom Interaction

Researchers have studied the use of corrective feedback and their effects on learner's language learning since the 1990s. Most studies have proved that recast is the most frequently used feedback. Many researchers found that error type, learner's proficiency level, instructional setting, and recast type are the main factors affecting the efficiency of recast. However, as to what degree do these factors affect recast and its efficiency, no agreement has been reached. Therefore, this research aims to study recast and learner uptake in China's secondary EFL classrooms and factors affecting their relationship.This study answers the following two questions:First, what's the distribution of recast across error type and learner's proficiency level? Second, to what degree does recast lead to learner repair of different kinds of errors?The author audio taped 18 EFL lessons from 9 secondary schools in Shanghai and collected the data from audio transcript totaling 755 minutes. It was found that error type and learner's proficiency level do affect the use of recast. Though recast was the most frequently used feedback type, it led to lower learner repair rate compared with other feedback types, and this rate was also affected by error type and learner's proficiency level.The thesis consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 is introduction part. Chapter 2 reviews literature on recast, learner uptake and their relationship. Chapter 3 introduces research design. Chapter 4 reveals the findings of this study. Answers to the two research questions can be found in chapter 5. Conclusions and pedagogical implications follow in chapter 6, and suggestions for future study can be found in this chapter.It is hoped that this study will help improving the efficiency of recast using in China's EFL classroom interaction and offer some implications for pedagogy.