Error Types, Corrective Feedback and Uptake in Korean EFL Oral Discourse

Abstract

This study is designed to investigate the relationship between error types, corrective feedback, and uptake in Korean EFL contexts. Furthermore, the results are compared to the previous two studies related to feedback and uptake which showed contradictory results in Korean EFL contexts. Ten advanced adult learners participated in this study. Eight speaking classes were observed and audio-recorded. The data was transcribed and analyzed based on Lyster and Lanta`s (1997) taxonomies. Errors, feedback moves, and uptake with repair and needs-repair were tallied, and then statistical analysis was performed to examine the association between the variables. The results are not exactly in line with either of the previous two studies but show similar findings to Canadian immersion contexts. This study indicates that Korean learners have less sophisticated metalinguistic awareness, compared to those in the past. In addition, pedagogical orientation even in communicative classes is one of the variables influencing the rate of feedback after erroneous utterances and types of feedback.