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The purpose of this study was to investigate ESL instructors' feedback techniques and the rationales behind these techniques, to explore ESL students' beliefs about the relative effectiveness of various types of feedback, and to compare students' beliefs with those of their instructors. A university-level ESL instructor and two of her students participated in this case study. Data were collected by think-aloud protocols and semistructured interviews, and results revealed four major categories: (a) types of feedback the instructor emphasized, (b) the instructor's beliefs about teaching writing, (c) students' beliefs about learning to write, and (d) students' views on the effectiveness of teachers' feedback strategies. Because some of the instructor's beliefs seemed to conflict with her students' views, it was concluded that teachers should make an effort to explore their students' beliefs about writing, feedback, and error correction and to try to bridge any gap between their own and their students' expectations.

Theories and strategies of politeness and impoliteness are drawn upon to investigate underlying factors that might contribute to an understanding of differences among students and teachers towards politeness strategies. Classroom politeness in the present study is operationally defined according to various strategies or behaviors that the students in question draw upon in reacting to different situations. The study explores through a survey and a discourse completion test the degree of politeness the genders in an L1 Arabic context indicate to certain situations. Results show that the possible causes for the 'misunderstandings' and any perceived differences in 'impoliteness' between the genders are more 'cultural' rather than that of 'impoliteness' on the part of the students. Recommendations are made for program coordinators and teachers to deal with this issue in EFL classrooms along with future needed research

The purpose of this study was to develop specific rubrics for assessing critiques in English 202, an English as a foreign language course at the Lebanese American University to explore the effectiveness of these rubrics on students' writing and to investigate students' attitudes and reactions to the use of these rubrics. After development of the rubrics, students wrote an inclass critique of an article, using the rubrics as a guide. Based on teachers' comments and grades on the rubrics, students revised and wrote the second draft. Students were then administered an anonymous online survey asking them for feedback on the use of rubrics. A t-test comparing students' grades on the first and second drafts revealed a significant difference, suggesting that use of the rubrics helped students effectively revise their drafts. The survey results support this hypothesis because students revealed positive attitudes and reactions. Based on the findings, we recommend that consistent use of well-developed rubrics can enhance outcomes for English learners enrolled in writing courses.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine language teachers’ perceptions of practitioner research to establish an understanding whether research comprises a fundamental component in their career. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study was conducted with language teachers and coordinators from various schools in Lebanon. Questionnaires were distributed to 50 language teachers, followed by semi-structured interviews conducted with language coordinators, and in-depth interviews with language teachers who are practitioner researchers. Findings Results indicated that research is a minority activity for language teachers due to lack of time, overwhelming working conditions and lack of flexibility in the workplace. Research limitations/implications There was a lack of cooperation between teachers and coordinators. Originality/value This study provides teachers in Lebanon with the opportunity of transforming their voice through participating in and being agents of research rather than solely observing the process which attempts to bridge theory to practice.