Correct Me if I’m Wrong, but Do It Right: Error Correction and Learner Uptake in University-level EFL Classrooms

This paper presents the findings on corrective feedback and learner uptake in six university-level EFL classrooms. The study was undertaken by means of observation of ten hours of classroom interaction, five at A1 and another five at B2 level. The classroom observation instrument, developed for the purpose of this research, comprised seven categories for error correction and five for learner uptake. The instrument was used to record the frequency of different types of error correction and learner uptake, as well as the patterns in their co-occurrence. The results show that explicit correction is the predominant type of corrective feedback, to which students normally respond with repetition of the correct form. This tendency is particularly salient in A1 classes, whereas B2 teachers tend to favour recasts, although they do not typically generate learner uptake. Other error correction methods like prompts, explanations, questions, disapproval and error repetition were used less frequently, in spite of the fact that they were highly effective at generating learner uptake and student self-repair.