Teacher Beliefs, Practices and Student Responses to Teacher Written Corrective Feedback in an EFL Writing Classroom in China

Abstract

This explanatory sequential mixed methods study aimed to investigate (i) teachers'
beliefs and practices of providing written corrective feedback (WCF) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) writing classroom, (ii) the EFL students’ responses to teacher written corrective feedback (TWCF), and (iii) the mismatches between teachers' practices and students’ responses to TWCF in an EFL writing classroom in China. Firstly, students’ essays corrected by teachers were collected to obtain teachers’ WCF. Secondly, a questionnaire was administered to 260 Junior Middle School students to understand their preferences toward TWCF. Finally, eight teachers and 12 students were interviewed to explore their beliefs and views of TWCF. The findings indicate that both teachers and students recognized the benefits of WCF. Teachers used a combination of direct, indirect, focused, and unfocused feedback and paid more attention to students’ grammar. However, there were some mismatches between teachers’ and students’ expectations. The students preferred direct and focused feedback and wanted their teachers to provide feedback on content. Considering these findings, teachers should consider students’ needs and adopt appropriate feedback strategies to make their WCF practices effective and beneficial.