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Interaction: Activity 2


Corrective feedback in interaction


Watch the following excerpts from the learners’ interviews and think about the following questions:

  • 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 or was she focused on form, trying to correct the learner?
  • Do you think the interviewer’s feedback was effective in promoting acquisition?

Sebastian Interview (click to open transcript below the video)

Transcript (click to open)
Sebastian Interview Segment

118  I: こ、これから大学を卒業して何をしたいと
119      思っていますか。
120  S: *卒 業 あ とですか?
121  I:  卒 業 の 後
122  S: あー、いい質問です。卒 業 あ とで多分日本に行きたいです。

Translation:

118  I: What do you think you would like to do after you graduate
119      from college?
120  S: *After graduation?
121  I:  After graduation.
122  S: Oh, that’s a good question. After graduation, maybe I want to go to Japan.

Maximus Interview A

Transcript (click to open)
Maximus Interview Segment A

87  M:  あー、その人が、
88       お金を*探 す の こ と をで き な ー 、 で き な い の で、この
89  I:   探 せ な い か ら
90  M:  探 せ な い か ら、あー、何か侍はー、侍の仕事だけする。なんか、…

Translation:

87  M: Ah, …because that person
88      *can- can’t…do looking for money, this…
89  I:  Because (that person) can’t look for?
90  M: Because (that person) can’t look for, ah, like samurai does only the samurai job

Maximus Interview B

Transcript (click to open)
Maximus Interview Segment B

92  M: あーでも、この特別な、あー侍の、かずかー家族みたいな人達
93       がちょっと、ちょっとじゃない、とっても*悪 い な こ とをして、この…
94  I:  悪 い こ と?どんな?
95      えーとー、大体、あー、はらきりをすると、ちょっと変ですね、でも、あーあー、
     M: わー、
96      鉄、あー、あー、*刀 は 鉄 で あ る。でも、
97  I:  鉄 で で き て い ま す ね
98  M: 鉄 で で き て い ま す。でもー、えーとー、鉄な刀を、あーあー2
          あげ、あげないでーあー、
99      あ、竹の刀をあげて、竹は木から、あまり切ることができない。でも

Translation:

92  M: Well, but this special, uh samurai fami- family like people
93      did a little, not a little, very *bad things and this…
94  I:  Bad things? Like what ?
95  M: Uh::m, generally, ah, when (one) does harakiri(.), it’s a little strange, but ah,
96       ah, wah, steel, ah, ah, *a sword is steel, but…
97  I:  (It is) made from iron.
98 M: (It is) made from iron. But, uhm, (They) did not gi- give iron swords and, ah, ah,
99       gave bamboo swords and since bamboo is a tree, (it) can not cut very well. But…

Maximus Interview C

Transcript (click to open)
Maximus Interview Segment C

101  M: このお父さんがー、
102      このー、えっとー、え、侍の家族をー、あ、殺す、殺すことに、あー、になりま
            した。
103      *殺 し た い こ と に な り ま し た。ちょっ…
104  I:  殺 し た く な り ま し た ?
105  M: あー、ぜ、全部じゃない、でもたくさんの人を殺しました。

Translation:

101  M: This dad,
102       uh, kill, ended up, ah, killing this, um, ah, samurai family,
103       *ended up wanting to kill. A little…
104  I:  Wanted to kill?
105  M: Ah, al-, not all (of them), but killed many people

Transcripts for all 4 video segments (PDF)

  • 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 or was she focused on form, trying to correct the learner?
  • Do you think the interviewer’s feedback was effective in promoting acquisition?

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.

Sebastian

Sebastian receives a recast when he drops the genitive particle “no [of].” However, he does not notice the correction and repeats his erroneous phrase in the next turn. The interviewer seems to be focused more on meaning; her intention is to confirm what he just said. In this case, recast may not be the most effective feedback type because there seems no uptake occurring in the following turns.

Maximus

Maximus also receives recasts when he produces erroneous utterances at four different times. He notices the corrections on two occasions and does not notice on two other occasions.

  1. In this excerpt, the interviewer provides a recast to correct an error in form, but also uses the interrogative intonation that asks for more information. In this sense, she is focused primarily on form, but also on meaning. Maximus notices the correction, reformulates his erroneous utterance (uptake) immediately after the recast and further provides the information that was requested. This suggests that the feedback is probably effective in promoting acquisition.

  2. There are two examples of corrective feedback in this excerpt. In the first example, the interviewer provides a recast in the interrogative intonation and then explicitly asks for more information. Maximus does not notice the correction but provides more information as requested. The recast is probably not effective because there is no uptake. It is possible that recasts with rising intonation may confuse the learner, since they have a dual function, both to correct an erroneous form and to request additional information. The learner may focus on the meaning and not notice the correction to form. In the second example, the interviewer provides a recast. Maximus notices the correction and reformulates his erroneous utterance immediately after the recast (uptake). This recast is not additionally asking for more information or clarification, etc. but is simply repeating what Maximus said. It is effective because there was uptake.

  3. In this excerpt, the interviewer provides a recast that also asks for more information by means of the questioning intonation. Maximus does not notice the correction but provides more information as requested. This response to a recast with rising intonation is the same as that noted in example b above. The recast is not effective because there is no uptake.

 

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