Teachers’ Perspectives and Actual Practices of OCF Types in English-speaking Classes

Tóm tắt

As the result of increasing students’ independent learning and responsibility for their learning, oral corrective feedback (OCF) in teaching and learning a foreign language has received considerable attention in the past few decades. The study investigates teachers’ perspectives and actual practices in a university in Vietnam regarding OCF strategies. Data were gathered from five initial interviews, stimulated recall interviews with five English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers, and classroom observations. The findings showed only a partial consistency between the OCF types the teachers perceived themselves to use and those they actually employed in their practices. Teachers should pay attention to Vietnamese cultural factors such as face-saving value to maintain students’ learning motivation. They should also provide more explicit types of OCF to give students clearer hints and clues so that students can locate and notice their errors easily. Gestures, facial expressions, and body language are good tools to stimulate students’ imagination and critical thinking to promote their oral ability and English proficiency.