Chapter I. The role of feedback in learning english as a second language

participants received a sheet with examples of the different corrective feedback 
methods . 
The students and the teachers were told that their participation was 
voluntary and they were asked if they wanted to participate in the survey. The 
participants were assured that their 13 identity would not be revealed and that 
the questionnaires only revealed the class code and the participants' gender and 
age, which means that confidentiality was assured.
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2.2The analysis and results of the survey 
The main results of this study are accounted for below. Section 4.1 
will present the results from the questionnaires answered by the teachers 
from the three classes. Section 4.2 will account for the results from the 
student questionnaire. 
In order to investigate this paper's main question, specific questions 
were designed concerning what corrective feedback methods are used by the 
teachers, what their beliefs are about various feedback methods, their preferences 
when it comes to feedback related to vocabulary errors and if they believe that 
the given feedback helps their students to improve their vocabulary skills. The 
main results of this study are summarised below focusing on these questions. 
The data show that all three teachers claim to use a varied set of corrective 
feedback types
. 
The students in class 1 write one essay per semester and their 
teacher corrects only those vocabulary errors which cause comprehension 
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(Wray & Bloomer, 2006: 174) 

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problems. T1 claimed to use the corrective feedback methods 
underline 
and 
direct correction 
when she corrects vocabulary errors in her students' essays. The 
students in class 2 write two essays per semester and their teacher explained that 
she corrects all vocabulary errors in the students' longer texts. T2 did not explain 
what she means with “longer” texts. T2, like T1, claimed to use a varied set of 
corrective methods, namely 
underline
, 
underline and describe 
and 
direct 
correction
, when she corrects vocabulary errors in her students' essays. T3 said 
that she does not correct all vocabulary errors in her students’ essays, only 
those errors that would make the reader confused. In order to correct the errors 
that need to be corrected, this teacher claimed to use the corrective feedback 
methods 
underline and describe 
and 
direct correction.
Table 1 provides a visual 
representation of the methods said to be used by the teachers in the three classes. 
All teachers use the corrective feedback method 
direct correction; 
T2 and T3 
also use the method 
underline and describe
. T1 and T2 use the method 
underline 
in order to correct vocabulary errors in their students' written assignments. 
Table 1: What corrective feedback methods are used by the teacher
directed at vocabulary errors in students' written assignments? 
T1 
T2 
T3 
Total 
Underline 
x 
x 
2 
Underline and describe 
x 
x 
2 
Direct correction 
x 
x 
x 
3 
Describe
0 
T2 mentioned in the questionnaire that she uses a combination of corrective 
feedback methods depending on the student. This teacher believes it to be 
important to correct all vocabulary errors in the students' longer written texts 
because according to her, the students learn from their mistakes. T1 and T3 
claimed only to correct those errors which would make it difficult for the reader 

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to understand the content. T3 elaborated on this question and mentioned her 
dyslectic students. She wrote that she does not correct vocabulary errors unless 
they get another meaning, e.g. 
world 
– 
word
. 
The findings show that the correction method 
describe, 
where the teacher 
indicates in the margin that there is a vocabulary error on a certain line, is not 
used by any of the teachers in the three classes. This is a positive finding because 
this kind of correction seems to have the least effect on students' accuracy in their 
writing.
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