Author :
DOI : 10.18033/ijla.426
Year-Number: 2016-12
Language : null
Konu : ELT
Abstract
Keywords
Abstract
There is an increasing worldwide positive attitude towards feedback. There is a direct link between feedback and learning process. Feedback gives information about the gap between actual and desired levels. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of EFL instructors about the use of feedback and their feedback practices at a preparatory school. For the purpose of the study, a qualitative research was carried out. The study utilized purposeful sampling. Three EFL instructors participated in this study. Data were collected by means of checklists, semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The study results reveal that EFL instructors’ perceptions about the use of feedback are strongly related to growth of learning rather than students’ well being and grading construction, and EFL instructors’ feedback practices gathered under the teacher formative feedback practices are congruent with their perceptions in preparatory classes at a state university in Turkey. By investigating the perceptions of EFL instructors about feedback and their feedback practices, this study will add one more brick onto the present construction of research on feedback. The results of this study might also have practical effects. It can also give ideas to institutions about setting feedback policies to support their course instructors. This study might make an important contribution to research on the use of feedback in preparatory schools. It might have implications for contributing to feedback perceptions of EFL instructors in Turkey.
Keywords
- Preferably, it might be beneficial to start feedback definitions with a dictionary survey.Feedback in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English takes place as ‘advice,criticism etc. about how successful or useful something is’ (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary, 1992, p. 510).
- Decision of feedback’s timing is important during lesson with some “objectives” whichhave some “desired standards of performance” (Russell, 1998, p. 24). To begin with, therapport with desired standards should be created; that is, the expectations from the elements of teaching-leaning process.
- Timing might be of great importance in the aspect of giving feedback in an effective way.In order to provide feedback, well-arranged time of feedback needs great care. It issuggested that feedback can be given during or after the performance. Then, it requiresthe question of ’when’ Hattie and Timperley (2007) emphasizes that it is much morepreferable using feedback immediately, and the time may change according to the feedback’s content.
- Types of feedback content may differ according to purposes and outcomes. Hattie and Timperley (2007) state four types of feedback:
- Hattie and Timperley (2007) find the self-regulation feedback as the most powerful typebecause this type of feedback leads the students to be more engaged and self-efficient during teaching-learning process.
- In contrast, most frequently provided type is task feedback. However, task feedback is thetype most frequently provided to students in the schools. Teachers are likely to give praisein feedback, which is controversial (Hattie and Timperley, 2007). On its own, praise maynot have sufficient information to move students forward in their learning. Yet, the praisemakes students motivated so as to overcome the difficulties easily. Moreover, Irving,Harris and Peterson (2011) present evidence that some teachers consider praise as a tool in improving students’ self-esteem.
- There are divergent reasons for providing feedback. In education field, the purpose offeedback is improving student learning, not the sense of personal well-being. Irving et al.(2011) found feedback ‘as being about learning, grades and marks, or behavior andeffort’, and they deliberates that feedback is served with an encouragement purpose (p.415). To be able to accomplish this purpose, students need teachers as a source of accurate information related to their performance.
- In the aspects of teachers, there may be some external reasons such as administrators orexternal stakeholders, so teachers are required to provide certain types of feedback likegrades. Besides, there are several factors that influence the effectiveness of feedback.Sadler (1998) gives examples of these factors as students’ ability of interpreting, using, and their motivation to do so.
- Tunstall and Gipps (1996) developed a typology of teacher feedback by observing thefeedback given by teachers to their students in primary schools. They classified feedbackinto two main types: descriptive and evaluative. Evaluative feedback is a result ofsummative assessment. This type of feedback is a summary for the student of how wellhe/she has done his/her work during a specific period (e.g. at the end of the term). Itinvolves rewards, letter grades, numbers, check marks, symbols, general comments,general criticisms, punishments. Descriptive feedback is a significant part of formativeassessment and it has a positive intention. This type of feedback provides specificinformation such as written comments or conversations that help the learner understand what he/she needs to do to improve.
- Teachers’ beliefs about the usage, nature, and purpose of feedback have beeninvestigated in a number of studies. The scrutiny of O’Quin (2009) is among the pioneerstudies in this area. 308 middle school teachers in Louisiana participated in the study.They stated that they use feedback to enhance student learning. The results of the studyindicate that most participants (especially, teachers of alternative not regular classrooms)find that there is a relationship between feedback and students’ improvement inteaching-learning process. Surprisingly, there is not statistically significant relationshipbetween what the Louisiana teachers think about feedback and the usage of feedbackbecause others require it. Namely, it means teachers’ beliefs about the effectiveness of feedback in learning structure their feedback practices.
- The study of Irving, Harris and Peterson (2011) is surveyed in New Zealand context. Participants of the study, New Zealand teachers explain three types of feedback:
- The study of Harris and Brown (2012) is another considerable one about the same issue.Their study investigates the beliefs of teachers about feedback. It reports the results of alarge-scale questionnaire survey of New Zealand 1492 teachers’ conceptions of feedback.There are several factors that influence teachers’ beliefs. For instance; ‘Assessmentpolicies are also probable factors in shaping teacher conceptions of feedback’ (p.977).Their understandings of feedback focus on improving learning instead of enhancingstudent well being. Therefore, clearly, other studies with different teacher populations and in different contexts are required.
- The participants got the detailed information, consent form and checklist (devised versionof the Teachers’ Conceptions of Feedback (TCoF) questionnaire by Hattie and Timperley (2007)) for interviews.
- The researchers sent the participants a checklist to get more information about theirperceptions of feedback. This checklist was devised and derived from the Teachers’ Conceptions of Feedback (TCoF) questionnaire by Hattie and Timperley (2007).
- In terms of Tunstall and Gipps’s (1996) feedback typology, both descriptive feedback andevaluative feedback were observed in the instructors’ feedback practices. However,descriptive feedback was preferred more than evaluative feedback because the instructors believe that this type of feedback improves students’ learning.
- The detailed feedback seems more likely to be encouraging. This finding is congruent withthe findings of the study by Brinko (1993) who argued that there is no distinction in theeffect of oral or written feedback. The data analysis reveals that there is an aptitude to use general feedback as much as detailed feedback.
- In terms of the research questions from the aspect of timing, the data analysis revealsthat there is a high aptitude for immediate feedback after the performance while some ofthe teachers preferred to give feedback during the tasks (Bee and Bee, 1998; Brinko,1993). In addition, it is good not to see that there is a preference for delayed feedback such as two or three weeks later.
- Learning oriented perception of feedback provides formative assessment because alllearning is monitored (Vercauteren, 2005), but nothing is measured without learning.Feedback is essentially formative assessment for formative assessment becomes formativewhen ‘it is immediately used to make adjustments so as to form new learning’ (Shepard, 2008).
- This study reveals that when learning is an complicated process of learning and involvesteacher and student interaction as well as time and analysis of learning by both teachersand learners, ‘it is important that the teachers pay attention to giving the right type offeedback and allowing time for learners to reflect on their own performance’ (Atalı, 2008).
- Atalı, A. (2008). The Use of Constructive Feedback in Speaking and Writing Tasks at GaziUniversity Research and Application Center for Instruction of Foreign Languages. Master of Arts in ELT, Gazi University.
- Bee, F., & Bee, R. (1998). Constructive Feedback. Cipd Publishing. Retrieved fromhttp://books.google.com.tr/books?id=fFLX0vssr7kC&printsec=frontcover&hl=tr# v=onepage&q&f=false
- Brinko, K. T. (1993). The Practice of Giving Feedback to Improve Teaching: What Is Effective?.The Journal of Higher Education, Vol. 64, No.5. 574-593
- Ferris, D. & Roberts, B. (2001). Error feedback in L2 writing classes: How explicit does it need to be? Journal of Second Language Writing, 10, 161–184.
- Gadsby, A., & Summers, D. (1992). Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Pearson Esl.
- Guénette, D. (2007). Is feedback pedagogically correct? Research design issues in studiesof feedback onwriting.Journal of Second Language Writing, 16, 40–53. Retrieved from:
- Harris, L. R., & Brown, G. T. (2012). Teacher beliefs about feedback within an assessmentfor learning environment:Endorsement of improved learning over student well-being, University of Auckland, Auckland, NZ. Retrieved from: http://ac.els- cdn.com/S0742051X12000807/1-s2.0-S0742051X12000807-
- Hattie, J., &Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.
- Irving, S., Harris, L., & Peterson, E. (2011). ‘One assessment doesn’t serve all thepurposes’ or does it? New Zealand teachers describe assessment and feedback.Asia Pacific Education Review, 12(3), 413-426.doi:10.1007/s12564-011-9145-1. Retrieved from https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/handle/2292/12427
- O’Quin, C. R. (2009). Feedback for students: What do teachers believe? Unpublisheddoctoral dissertation, the Consortium of Southeastern Louisiana University and University of Louisiana Lafayette, Hammond, LA.
- Russell, T. (1998). Effective Feedback Skills. London, Kogan Page. Retrieved fromhttp://books.google.com.tr/books?id=ilQh3Yq1bn0C&printsec=frontcover&hl=tr &source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
- Sadler, D.R. (1998) Formative assessment: Revisiting the territory Assessment in Education, 5 (1), 77-84.
- Shepard, L. A. (2008). Formative assessment: Caveat emptor. In C.A. Dwyer (Ed.), Thefuture of assessment: Shaping teaching and learning (pp. 279-303). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Tunstall, P., & Gipps, C. (1996). Teacher feedback to young children in formative assessment: A typology. British Educational Research Journal, 22 (4).
- Vercauteren, C. D. (2005). Feedback in New Zealand Classrooms: Do students get the
