The Use and Impact of Error Correction Techniques for Rectifying Students' Spoken Errors in EFL Classrooms



Abstract

This paper entails the proposal of the chosen action based research project to be carried out at a English learning center at Yangon, Myanmar. This study proposes the sample size of eighteen students between the ages of 18-24 years, who are learning English as Foreign Language (EFL). The main purpose of selecting this research topic was to highlight the importance and impact that the teacher's chosen approach of corrective feedback to rectify spoken errors, have upon their students. This research proposal includes in-depth details about the background of the study, research problem, the research methodology and design, to provide the reader with a clear idea of how this research project would be carried out.

The Use and Impact of Error Correction Techniques for Rectifying Students' Spoken Errors in EFL Classrooms

Introduction

Background of the Study

According to Shaofeng (2010) the past one decade has bore witness to a rapid increase in the empirical research on the effectiveness and use of corrective feedback. The accumulation of interest in this field necessitates a research that truly investigates the effectiveness of corrective feedback across different studies and signposting the variables that strongly impact its effectiveness. Thus, ever since the few researches that have been conducted in this respect show direct or indirect links with corrective feedback and its effectiveness upon the second language learners (L2) in general. Hence, the effectiveness of corrective feedback is most likely to be determined by the positive or negative evidence that it entails. This highlights that the student or EFL learner could be helped or guided through with the corrective feedback only if the feedback that they receive is positive and informs them of the correct usage and formulation of the incorrect utterance spoken by them.

Conversely, Won (2004) in their study share that while addressing to the student's oral errors the teachers may be using different verbal error treatment strategies. They may be using these strategies with the intention of facilitating the student's learning of the English language. However, the attitude that they adopt and the approach that they use could greatly influence the attitude and learning and their verbal English speaking skills. Thus, this study aims to study the different attitudes and perceptions of the EFL teachers and their impact on their student's learning and perceptions. Similarly, Sheen (2010) comments that for over a period of half century, the different theories associated with the first and second language of acquisition have taken on their different and independent stance on the corrective feedback. While, Lyster & Ranta (1997) note that as the beginning of the 1980's the communicative language teaching model was developed through six different forms of error correction. These include recasts, meta-linguistic feedback, elicitation, explicit correction, clarification requests and repetition. Collectively, these six forms of error collection became to be referred to as the corrective feedback that helped in the promotion of language acquisition amongst the second language (L2) ...