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

1.3 The methods to give corrective feedback 
There are many different ways in which corrective feedback can be 
given. The following descriptions of written corrective feedback methods are 
based on a study conducted by Chandler . 
Chandler's four different kinds of corrective feedback are: 
direct 
correction
, 
underline and describe
, 
describe 
and 
underline. Direct correction 
is 
used when the teacher gives the right answer directly, while 
underline and 
describe 
is the term used for when the error is underlined and an explanation 
given. 
Describe 
means that the error type is written in the margin of the text, 
without pointing out the location of the error and 
underline 
means that the 
teacher underlines the error without an explanation in the margin of the text . In 
this paper's questionnaires, Chandler's four different kinds of corrective 
feedback methods are used to describe different corrective feedback methods.As 
mentioned before, the language produced by language learners almost 
unavoidably contains errors of various types; this is part of the process of learning 
a language. Saengchan and Schmitt stress that empirical evidence suggests that 
lexical errors are the most frequently occurring category of errors in written 
English. Their taxonomy includes the following categories: 
Misuse of homonyms: Words that sound the same, but differ in 
meaning, spelling and usage, e.g. 
here - hear
, 
it's 
- 
its
. 
Confused words: Words which are similar in spelling, sound and 
meaning and, thus, are often confused, e.g. 
affect – effect, then – than. 

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Wrong word forms: Using a verb instead of an adjective, which can 
considerably change the meaning, e.g. 
disable people 
instead of 
disabled people
. 
Non-standard vocabulary: Words like 
wanna, gonna, kinda
. 
Interference: Words that are directly translated from a learner’s 
mother tongue. In Swedish, e.g. 
dush 
instead of 
shower. 
One kind of error that deserves attention is interference. 
Interference 
refers 
to the errors a learner of English makes as a result of the learner's first 
language. 
Transfer 
is a term used to describe the influence of the native 
language on a second language. Positive transfer occurs when there are 
similarities between the learner’s first and second language. 
Negative 
transfer 
is another term for interference; hence, errors due to negative 
transfer can be explained by referring to the native language of the learner 
(Heny, 1994: 162). For example, Scandinavian languages make no overt 
distinction 
between 
adjectives 
and 
their corresponding adverbs. A 
typical example of interference for Scandinavian speakers is that they use 
the adjective 
polite 
where the adverb 
politely 
should be used , as in 
She spoke 
to me quite polite*.
1 
Ferris (2006: 96) makes a distinction between “treatable” and 
“untreatable” categories of errors. Different categories of errors are affected 
differently by error treatment. In the first category, verbs, noun endings and 
articles can be mentioned. These errors occur in a patterned, rule-governed 
way, which makes it easier for students to self-edit these kinds of errors. Errors 
in the lexical category, i.e. 
word choice 
and 
idioms, 
are “untreatable”, meaning 
that there are no set of rules which can help students to avoid or fix those types 
of errors . Sheen believes that describing the differences between “treatable” 
and “untreatable” errors as described above is not without complication. It is not 
easy to see how such criteria can be applied by teachers; it is not so easy to 
determine whether an error is treatable or not. 

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Among writing experts, there is a strong preference for indirect feedback, i.e. 
an error is indicated without providing the correct form, which requires that 
learners self-correct. These experts argue that indirect feedback helps L2 learners 
to develop their language proficiency. According to Ferris and Roberts and 
Chandler, this correction method is preferable for most student writers, because 
it does not only help students to solve problems, but it also gives knowledge 
about linguistic forms that may lead to long-term acquisition . 
Previous studies indicate that L2 students prefer indirect feedback with error 
codes or labels over either the feedback methods 
direct correction 
or 
underline 
. 
However, in Chandler's study , a direct feedback method is preferred by 
students. In Köhlmyr's first pilot study (compulsory school), the teachers used 
both a direct and an indirect feedback method, whereas the teachers of the second 
pilot study (upper secondary school) used indirect feedback methods. Most 
of the students in compulsory school preferred the direct feedback method 
where the correct form is provided by the teacher combined with an explanation. 
This feedback method is the one that teachers claimed to use more often. Also, 
most of the students in upper secondary school shared the same preference as 
the students in compulsory school, but the indirect method with or without 
locating the error is the one that teachers claimed to use more often.
6
6
(Köhlmyr, 2013: 185) 

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