Learners' Perception of Corrective Feedback in Pair Work

Abstract: The present study examines Japanese language learners' perception of corrective feedback (CF) in pair work in relation to their noticing and understanding of their partners' CF and the factors that influence it. This study focuses on three learners, who worked together in pair work. The data collection methods consist of classroom observation, audio-recording of the learners' speech in class, and stimulated recall interviews following the classroom recording. The data analysis revealed that the learners sometimes did not understand their partners' CF, and their dissatisfaction with their interactions affected their understanding of CF. The study suggests the importance of learners' understanding CF and their satisfaction with their roles in their interactions during pair work. Key words: pair work, understanding of corrective feedback, intersubjectivity, collective scaffolding, learners' satisfaction with pair work Language: Japanese Introduction This study investigates Japanese as a foreign language learners' perceptions of corrective feedback (CF) in pair work to find out whether their responses after partners' CF show that they have noticed it and what influences their perceptions of it. Corrective feedback is teachers' or other learners' responses to second language or foreign language learners' erroneous or inappropriate products, by reformulating the forms or giving clues for corrections. Schmidt (1990) goes so far as to say that noticing is essential, claiming that learning cannot occur without learners' conscious attention to form in the input. According to Schmidt (1995), noticing means the "conscious registration of the occurrence of some event" (p. 29). The present study operationalizes noticing of CF as learners having noticed that they have been corrected, as well as noticing the difference between their own utterances and the correct forms. Previous CF studies (Lyster, 1998a, 1998b; Lyster & Ranta, 1997; Panova & Lyster, 2002) tended to regard learners' responses after CF as indications of its success. However, Ohta (2001) suggests that the absence of learners' responses after CF does not necessarily show a lack of attention. On the other hand, learners' responses may not always indicate that noticing has occurred. For this reason, the present study examines learners' perceptions of CF in association with noticing. Previous CF studies between teachers and learners revealed that its effectiveness is influenced by such factors as its intensity and length, learners' age and language ability, and the interactional context in which it occurs (e.g., Lasagabaster & Sierra, 2005; Lin & Hedgcock, 1996; Lyster & Ranta, 1997; Ohta, 2001; Oliver & Mackey, 2003). However, only Ohta (2001) examined CF in pair work settings in foreign language classrooms, and learners' perceptions in this setting has not been sufficiently explored. Factors influencing the effectiveness of CF in this kind of setting may well be different from those in teacher-fronted settings where it is the teachers who usually control interactions. Storch (2001, 2002) and Watanabe and Swain (2007) found that learning was influenced by interaction patterns, such as working collaboratively or when one partner becomes dominant. However, no studies have investigated the factors influencing CF effectiveness during pair work in foreign language classrooms using stimulated recall (SR) interviews. Therefore, the present study examines the effectiveness of CF in pair work by investigating learners' noticing of it using SR interviews with both participants. The present study also examines the effectiveness of CF by investigating whether learners obtained the feeling of achievement or contribution to the tasks in the interactions during pair work, in order to explore the influence of affective factors on the learners' perceptions of CF In short, CF can be effective when it is noticed by learners and the learners obtain the feeling of achievement or contribution to the tasks through CF episodes. …