Corrective Feedback Types Part 1 This is the third of a four part video series
about error correction. This one looks at the six types of feedback Lyster and Ranta
described. Then, the last one looks at other methods of categorizing correction that are
becoming popular.
By the way, the first two videos could apply to written or oral language, but these corrective
feedback types refer to oral language.
In 1997, Lyster and Ranta categorized corrective feedback into six types. Those types have
been re-organized recently, but let�s look at them first because they form a relatively
easy way of looking at correction.
The most popular type of correction is �recast.� This is when the instructor reformulates a
student�s statement, in other words, the teacher will say the corrected form of the
student utterance without explicitly pointing out the error. This is popular with communicative
teachers because it allows for correction with minimal interruption and without making
the student feel bad. In 1997, it was used 55% of the time. But, there are some instructional
settings around the world, where recasts and prompts are used equally. Unfortunately, when
this is just a recast without more explicit information, research indicates this has very
limited success. Actually, research has also noted that many instructors give a recast
and then do not pause long enough for the student to repair
the utterance.
Another type of reformulation is �explicit correction.� This is when the instructor
clearly indicates the mistake and provides the corrected version. Many instructors shy
away from this type of correction in oral feedback because they don�t want to single
out a student. However, research suggests this is the most effective form of correction
and that many students welcome it and expect it.
The next category is �prompts.� Under this category we find �elicitation.� This
is when the teacher may ask them how to say that in English or maybe the instructor begins
the question or statement again, but pauses, waiting for the student to complete it correctly.
Or, the teacher could just directly ask them to reword what they just said. Teachers worry
that this interrupts the dialogue too much and that it takes the focus away from the
meaning of what the student is saying and puts it onto the form. This is the second
most popular type of correction by instructors, but they were still only used 14% of the time
back in 1997. In practice, many students respond to this type of feedback as the teacher not
understanding the meaning instead of a need for them to correct their form. Therefore,
it has limited usefulness for correcting errors.
Another type of corrective feedback is �metalinguistic clues.� Similar to elicitation except that
the teacher explicitly asks questions about form, such as should that be singular or plural,
is that past tense, has it already happened or is it still happening. Again, teachers
often feel uncomfortable interrupting dialogue with grammar questions. Again, students often
expect this type of interruption.
The fifth type of corrective feedback is �clarification requests.� The instructor either truly or
pretends to not understand, asking �Excuse me?� or saying �I don�t understand.�
This may most closely mimic real life where the native speaker we are talking to is likely
to indicate a lack of understanding and ask for a clarification.
The last type of feedback originally presented by Lyster and Ranta is �repetition.� The
instructor repeats what the learner said, but with rising intonation to indicate a question,
and extra stress on the mistake. Due to the implicit aspect of this correction, students
may interpret this as lack of understanding by the instructor so instead of fixing their
grammar, they may try explaining it in a new way that their teacher will understand. It
might be more effective to combine this method with another, more explicit type of correction.
Okay, that�s a quick review of Lyster and Ranta�s 1997 classifications. It�s important
to understand these six types because the other ways of organizing and thinking about
corrective feedback build upon these.
The next video will continue looking at corrective feedback types.