The role and influence of feedback at foreign language learning achievment

Feedback and guidance moves (such as prompting, hinting, scaffolding, and pumping) have been investigated at some length by researchers working on Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) for teaching procedural skills in domains such as algebra, geometry, physics, and computer programming (Anderson et al., 1995; Merrill et al., 1992; Hume et al., 1996; Chi et al., 2001). However, little attention has been paid to feedback in the domain of ITS for foreign languages. This situation seems to have arisen for at least the following reasons.