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

 
 

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CONCLUSION
The first research question asked was what feedback methods are used 
by the teachers directed at vocabulary errors in students' written assignments. 
The results found that all teachers claimed to use a varied set of corrective 
feedback types, which is a positive result because this seems the best way to help 
learners to develop their L2 language. 
The second research question dealt with what method the teachers prefer 
and why. When these teachers were asked for the reason why they liked a certain 
method, all three teachers answered that their experience has shown them that 
their preferred feedback method is the best way for their students to learn and 
avoid making errors in future assignments. T1 and T2 prefer the correction 
method 
underline 
and T3 stated that she preferred the method 
underline and 
describe
. These findings suggest that T1 and T2 prefer the less time consuming 
methods. The teachers in Köhlmyr's pilot study (2013: 185) also prefer an indirect 
correction method, which has been found to help L2 learners to develop their 
language proficiency best.
11
Regarding the question what feedback methods the students prefer 
when it comes to vocabulary errors, six (60%) of the students in class 1 
preferred the correction method 
underline and describe. 
This method is not used 
by their teacher, which could support the suggestion in Köhlmyr's study that 
teachers and students need to be taught the different feedback methods and how 
to use them. In class 2, ten students (44%) preferred the method 
direct correction 
and nine students (39%) preferred the correction method 
underline and 
describe. 
In class 3, four students (66%) had the correction method 
underline and 
describe 
as their preference. The students in classes 1, 2 and 3 preferred the direct 
corrective feedback methods 
underline and describe 
and 
direct correction. 
This 
preference for direct correction methods agrees with previous research.The 
teachers in class 1 and class 2 claimed to use the correction method 
underline 
most 
when correcting students' vocabulary errors, though only five out of 33 students 
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(Sheen, 2001; Ferris & Roberts, 2001: 164; Chandler, 2003) 

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from these two classes preferred this correction method. In class 3, the 
preference for a certain correction method was shared by both the teacher 
and the students. These findings agree with Köhlmyr's study, which might 
lead to the question whether feedback would be more effective when teachers are 
aware of the effects of different feedback methods. 
The results for the fourth research question, whether students have to post-
edit their essays after the teacher has given them feedback, was answered 
positively by the three teachers. All three teachers stated in the questionnaire that 
many errors made by their students concern vocabulary. These utterances 
strengthen the statement of Saengchan and Schmitt that lexical errors are the 
most frequently occurring category of errors in written English. All teachers 
believe that post-editing is necessary because they believe that by making 
corrections, the students learn to avoid the same errors in the future. However, the 
results of this paper show that only half of the students (N=39) claim to always 
post-edit. The three teachers say that the students have to post-edit the written 
assignments after feedback is given to them but it seems that the teachers do not 
follow through and make sure that the students actually do so. It would be 
interesting to investigate the reason for these findings. 
The final question concerns whether the students experience that they 
improve their vocabulary skills based on the feedback. In class 1, three students 
answered negatively but in the other classes all students felt that they learn the 
right word or expression from post-editing. These findings find support in most 
studies on error correction in L2 writing classes; studies like Ferris & Roberts 
have shown that error feedback from teachers improve students' accuracy over 
time. This present study raises further questions for future investigations on 
this topic and it is hoped that researchers will continue to pursue this field of 
research for the benefit of both teachers and students. The most important 
question is whether to use indirect or direct feedback methods concerning 
lexical errors in learners’ interlanguage. Another question could be whether 
student preferences are of importance in order for feedback to be effective.For 

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more than two decades, attitudes and approaches toward student errors have 
been a source of debate among second language acquisition and second 
language writing scholars. Different types of errors need different types of 
error correction but teachers often provide feedback on all categories of errors 
in the same way. Though this present study obviously has its limits, it 
nevertheless provides evidence that can help teachers to reflect on and possibly 
change their feedback methods in order to help their students to improve their 
vocabulary skills.