Interaction: Activity 2
Corrective feedback in interaction
Watch the following excerpts from the learners’ interviews. When the learners made errors, what type of feedback did the interviewer provide? How did the learners respond to her feedback? What do you think the interviewer’s intent was: was she focused on meaning, trying to understand, or was she focused on form, trying to correct the learner? Do you think the interviewer’s feedback was effective in promoting acquisition?
Jiulin Interview
Transcript (PDF)
AnnaLi Interview
Transcript (PDF)
Please type your answers to the questions in the box below.
When you have finished typing your answer, click to compare your response with the Learner Language staff response.
Jiulin
In this episode, the interlocutor provides recasts at two times. In line 2, she seems to focus more on meaning. Her intention is to confirm what Jiulin just said. This recast is effective in getting Jiulin to clarify his intended meaning in the following turns. In line 8, she provides a recast to correct an error in form. This move is also effective since in line 9, Jiulin uptakes immediately and incorporates the correct form into his utterance.
AnnaLi
In this episode, the interlocutor uses different types of corrective feedback. In line 2, there is a pragmatic error in AnnaLi’s answer. She uses the word “会(can)” to refer to “ability” while the interlocutor uses the same word to ask about her usual behavior. At line 3, the interlocutor repeats part of AnnaLi’s utterance. She puts stress on the word “会(can)” and uses a rising intonation, in an attempt to confirm the meaning, but it is not effective. It appears that AnnaLi does not notice the difference between her own and the interlocutor’s use of the word “会(can)” until the interlocutor rephrases her question in line 5. This move is effective. In lines 6 and 10, AnnaLi uses the word “会(can)” correctly to describe her usual behavior. In line 13, the interlocutor provides a recast when AnnaLi produces an erroneous utterance. This recast is probably not effective since AnnaLi hears it as a confirmation check and there is no uptake.
