Oral corrective feedback in a blended learning environment: Challenges and contradictions faced by teachers in a Vietnamese university

III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . V LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . VII LIST OF FIGURES . XII LIST OF TABLES . XIII CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION . 14 1.1 Motivation for the study . 14 1.2 Research objectives . 15 1.3 Significance of this study . 16 1.4 The context of teaching and learning English in Vietnam . 18 1.5 Thesis structure . 21 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW . 22 2.1 Blended learning environment . 22 2.1.1 Definitions . 22 2.1.2 Implementing blended learning . 23 2.2 Accuracy and grammar instruction . 24 2.2.1 Accuracy versus fluency . 24 2.2.2 Grammar instruction . 25 2.3 Oral Corrective feedback . 26 2.3.1 Should errors be corrected? 26 2.3.2 Types of Oral Corrective Feedback . 27 2.3.3 Types of errors . 29 2.3.4 Timing of corrective feedback . 31 2.3.5 Who corrects the errors . 35 2.3.6 Whole-class, small-group or individual OCF . 37 2.3. 7 Use of L1 in giving OCF . 37 2.3. 8 Focus-on-form episodes . 38 2.4 Teachers’ cognition . 39 2.4.1 Definition . 39 2.4.2 Sources of teacher cognition . 41 2.4.3 Relationship between teacher cognition and practice . 42 2.4.4 Emotion and cognition . 43 2.4.5 Empirical studies about teacher cognition about OCF . 44 2.5 Sociocultural Theory . 53 2.5.1 Scaffolding . 54 2.5.2 Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) . 55 2.5.3 Empirical studies about OCF from the perspective of Sociocultural Theory . 63 2.6 Summary . 65 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY . 66 3.1 Rationale . 66 ix 3.1.1 Rationale for the interpretive paradigm . 66 3.1.2 Rationale for a qualitative, exploratory case study . 68 3.2 The present study . 70 3.2.1 Rationale for multi-method research design . 70 3.2.2 Selection and description of the participants . 70 3.2.3 Ethical issues . 71 3.3 Data collection methods . 73 3.3.1 Interviews . 73 3.3.2 Classroom observations . 75 3.3.3 Stimulated recall . 75 3.3.4 Focus group discussions . 77 3.3.5 Professional development meetings . 79 3.3.6 Narrative frames . 80 3.4 Data analysis . 81 3.4.1 Managing and transcribing the data . 81 3.4.2 Analysing the data . 84 3.5 Key criteria for qualitative research . 91 3.5.1 Credibility . 92 3.5.2 Transferability . 93 3.5.3 Dependability . 93 3.6 Summary . 95 CHAPTER FOUR: AN OVERVIEW OF THE BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAMME . 96 4.1 Overview of the BL programme . 96 4.2 The F2F teaching materials . 98 4.3 The F2F teaching procedures . 104 4.4 The general guideline for testing and assessment . 105 4.5 The teacher professional development activities . 105 4.6 Summary . 106 CHAPTER FIVE: FINDINGS . 107 5.1 Teachers’ beliefs about providing OCF . 108 5.1.1 Teachers’ beliefs about the importance of grammatical accuracy . 108 5.1.2 Teachers' beliefs about the importance of giving OCF . 109 5.1.3 Beliefs about providing OCF . 110 5.2 Teachers’ practices regarding giving OCF . 114 5.2.1 When OCF was given . 115 5.2.2 How errors were corrected . 120 5.2.3 Who corrected the errors . 142 5.2.4 Which errors were corrected . 143 5.2.5 Reasons for the use of Vietnamese in giving OCF . 144 5.2.6 The use of home tasks . 146 5.3 Convergences and divergences in beliefs and practices . 147 5.3.1 Convergences in beliefs and practices in providing corrective feedback . 147 5.3.2 Divergences in beliefs and practices . 152 5.3.3 Conflicting beliefs and practices among the teachers . 156 5.4 Influencing factors . 159 5.4.1 Teachers’ factors . 159 x 5.4.2 Students’ factors . 160 5.4.3 Institutional factors . 162 5.5 Summary of key findings . 165 CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION . 167 6.1 OCF techniques in the strategic planning . 167 6.1.1 Teachers’ beliefs . 167 6.1.2 Teachers’ practices . 168 6.2 Timing of OCF regarding immediate correction in the rehearsal stage . 169 6.2.1 Teachers’ beliefs . 169 6.2.2 Teachers’ practices . 170 6.3 Timing of feedback in relation to delayed