Explicit and Implicit Negative Feedback

Abstract

The relative effects of various types of negative feedback on the acquisition of the English dative alternation by 100 adult Spanish-speaking learners of English as a second language were investigated. Our objective was to determine empirically whether feedback can help learners learn the appropriate abstract constraints on an overgeneral rule. All subjects were trained on the alternation, which was presented in terms of a simple structural change. Subjects were divided into groups according to the type of feedback they received when they made an error. Specifically, upon making an error, Group A subjects were given explicit metalinguistic information about the generalization we hoped they would learn. Group B subjects were told that their response was wrong. Group C subjects were corrected when they erred, giving them a model of the response desired along with implicit negative evidence that their response was incorrect. Group D subjects, having made an error, were asked if they were sure about their response. The comparison group received no feedback.

Learners’ Beliefs About Corrective Feedback in the Language Classroom: Perspectives from Two International Contexts

“…Such investigations are necessary because they can reveal students' ideas about effective language instruction, which, by extension, may lead to increased learning. The current study aimed to identify what second (L2) and foreign (FL) language learners believe about corrective feedback (CF)-defined as any teacher move aimed to alert the learner to the presence of an error (Carroll & Swain, 1993)-and whether these beliefs are similar across two specific contexts of Canada and Russia. Knowing what learners think about CF will help teachers to plan for and present information about learners' phonological, grammatical, or lexical accuracy that is in line with their contextually specific expectations and needs.…”

Corrective Feedback Interventions and EFL Learners’ Pronunciation: A Case of –s or –es Ending Words

“…The issues discussed include when, which, and how errors should be corrected, as well as whether learners' errors should be corrected at all. Among the examined issues, the question of whether learners should be corrected has been investigated in studies such as Carroll, Roberge, and Swain (1992) and Carroll and Swain (1993), both of which dealt with the provision of corrective feedback on certain linguistic forms, in a controlled experimental setting. The study of Carroll et al (1992) examined adult French learners who were trained in use of French suffixation rules and given feedback on their misuse.…”

“…The study of Carroll et al (1992) examined adult French learners who were trained in use of French suffixation rules and given feedback on their misuse. Carroll and Swain (1993), on the other hand, investigated adult English learners who were given different kinds of feedback while learning the English dative alternation rule. These studies attempted to look at the effect of feedback on learners' misuse of certain linguistic forms, but due to the nature of the research, they did not reveal possible effects of error treatment in communicative language classrooms.…”

Corrective Feedback, Negotiation of Meaning and Grammar Development: Learner-Learner and Learner-Native Speaker Interaction in ESL

“…Some studies suggest that learners could benefit more from explicit rather than implicit CF (e.g., Carroll & Swain, 1993;Ellis, Loewen, & Erlam, 2006;Kim & Mathes, 2001;Varnosfadrani & Basturkmen, 2009). Moreover, among the different types of implicit CF, Lyster (1998Lyster ( , 2004 mentions that recasts, occurring after grammatical errors, assist L2 learning.…”