A Study On Corrective Feedback Between Students’ Expectation And Teachers’ Actual Practice In Senior High English Classroom

During the process of foreign language learning, errors are inevitable. In foreign language class, how to deal with learners’ errors, whether to correct the errors or not are the first and foremost questions teachers encounter. Researches show that some errors will not occur with the time of learning; however, some others keep showing up if teachers do not correct them. In Errors in language learning and use: Exploring error analysis, James points put that teachers when correct errors should follow these four principles:1. Correct errors effectively; 2. Consider students psychology; 3. Choose the types that students prefer; 4. Choose from form error correction or meaning error correction. The attitude and preference of students, as the subjectivity of learning, should be taken into consideration.The study chooses 3 teachers and 157 students from 3 classes of Grade 2 in a key senior high school as research subjects. By observing teachers’ correction behavior and students’ uptake and repair, combined with the questionnaire of the students, the author trys to find out students’ most favorable corrective types and the most effective correction types in actual class.The research shows that:1.students think that teachers should correct all types of errors in class, and they prefer teachers to correct after they finish their speech. 2. Students prefer self-correction with the help of teachers. 3. Students prefer teachers to correct their phonological errors by negotiation of form and explicit correction. 4. In actual class, the types of correction used by teachers differs when it comes to different types of errors. The most frequently used type to correct students’ phonological errors is recast and explicit correction; while for vocabulary,grammar and pragmatic errors, negotiation of form and recast. 5. Students’ uptake and repair differs with the types of errors. The rate of immediate phonological repair is the highest. The most effective way to correct phonological errors is explicit correction and recast, while for vocabulary, grammar and pragmatic errors, negotiation of form.The data of questionnaire indicates that students prefer teacher to use negotiation of form to correct their phonological errors, but the classroom observation shows that explicit correction and recast are more effective. Based on this, the author suggests teachers to use explicit correction and recast to correct students’ phonological errors. For vocabulary, grammar and pragmatic errors, students’ preference resembles teachers’ correction behavior. Students prefer teachers to use negotiation of form to correct these three types of errors, which is the most effective. So when correct these types of errors, the author suggests teachers to use negotiation of form.