Iranian EFL Teachers' Perception of Formulaic-Oriented Witten Corrective Feedback Practices

Subject Areas :

Zahra Hardani Naeeme Zade ¹ (Department of English Language and Literature, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran)
Javad Gholami ² (Department of English Language and Literature, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran)
Mehdi Sarkhosh ³ (Department of English Language and Literature, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran)

Received: 2023-03-13 Accepted : 2023-12-30 Published : 2024-04-01

Keywords: Perception, teachers, EFL classes, Formulaic Witten Corrective Feedback,

Abstract :

Although there is an increasing amount of research examining the efficacy of Witten Corrective Feedback (WCF) in enhancing the grammatical accuracy of EFL learners, only a few studies have explored the perspectives of EFL teachers regarding Formulaic-oriented Witten Corrective Feedback (FWCF) in EFL settings. Using a mixed-method approach, this interpretive exploratory study sought to understand the attitudes of Iranian EFL teachers toward FWCF. The analyses were based on quantitative data from a 13-item anonymous bespoke online survey, qualitative data from semi-structured interviews, and an open-ended question at the end of the survey. EFL teachers (n =137) responded to the online survey, and 7 participants participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings indicated that female teachers' favorable opinions about the effectiveness of WCF for improving EFL learners' writing performance resulted from their belief that the learners' capacity to use more formal and courteous language in their writing assignments was positively impacted by using these formulaic sequences. Moreover, the findings demonstrated that EFL teachers preferred direct WCF methods over indirect tactics. The most essential component that affected teachers' practices in the classroom was training designed to change their perspective of the valuelessness of WCF. The teachers' lack of satisfactory understanding of formulaic sequences stemmed from their lack of information. In addition, teachers' hesitancy to use them in the lower proficiency levels emanated from their misconceptions of their uselessness in the language learners' writing tasks.

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