A Comparative Study On The Ns Teacher And Nns Teacher's Feedback

Teachers' feedback,as an important part of teacher talk,is the important source of students' comprehensible input.Though there are many studies on teachers' feedback home and abroad,few focus on the comparison of NS(native speaker)and NNS(non-native speaker)teachers' feedback in senior high school English classrooms.Based on this fact,the author chose two teachers(one NS teacher and one NNS teacher)and 52 students in the same class that two teachers teach in No.l Middle School affiliated to Central China Normal University(CCNU)as research subjects.Through classroom observation,tape-recordings and transcriptions,the study aims at investigating the differences of NS teacher and NNS teacher in the amount and types of teachers' feedback in high school English classrooms.In addition,in order to examine students' attitudes and preferences,52 students were asked to fill in the questionnaire and 5 students were chosen randomly to have interviews.The author had interviews with the NS teacher and NNS teacher to know about their preferences and attitudes to teachers' feedback.Results show that:(1)the amount of the NNS teacher's feedback is more than that of the NS teacher's feedback;(2)compared with the NNS teacher,the NS teacher uses more positive feedback and less negative feedback and pays more attention to students'affective factors when he gives students feedback;(3)the most frequently used type of positive feedback by the NS teacher is simple praise&expansion and remarks,which is more in line with students' preferences while the NNS teacher uses simple praise&repetition most frequently;(4)the most frequently used type of negative feedback by the NS teacher is recast(implicit correction),which is more in line with students' preferences while the NNS teacher uses explicit correction most frequently;both the NS teacher and NNS teacher use less negotiation of form;(5)compared with the NS teacher,the NNS teacher has less theoretical knowledge about teachers' feedback.Based on the research results,it is found that teachers' teaching styles,teachers' beliefs and teaching aims can greatly affect the choices of teachers' feedback.Students' preferences and attitudes toward teachers' feedback have been greatly affected by the exam-oriented education.According to the research results,some suggestions are put forward:(1)both the NS teacher and NNS teacher,especially the NNS teacher should have a deep understanding of teachers' feedback and enhance the awareness of giving feedback appropriately;(2)the NNS teacher should give students more specific positive feedback rather than simple praise&repetition;(3)the NNS teacher should use more implicit correction rather than explicit correction and pay more attention to students' affective factors;(4)the NS teacher should adjust his teaching methods in order to activate students' initiative in classroom interaction;(5)both the NS teacher and NNS teacher should pay more attention to the use of negotiation of form.This study will help raise NS and NNS teachers' awareness of using feedback appropriately,help them improve their feedback skills and thus improve the quality of high school English classroom interaction.Some suggestions for further studies are put forward in this study:(1)the range of the investigation should be expanded and time of observation should be extended;(2)the comparison on NS and NNS teachers' feedback should focus on both verbal and non-verbal feedback;(3)the relationship between NS and NNS teachers' feedback and learner repair and uptake should be studied.