Different Types of Teacher Feedback on Student Errors in Whole-class Interaction

Abstract

In recent pedagogical discourse, errors are understood as opportunities for learning. Increasing research has provided evidence about the relationship between the quality of student-teacher interaction and learning outcomes. Consequently, the role of teacher feedback during interaction is especially critical, particularly in error situations where the learning process can be supported. This research focuses on teachers’ feedback during whole-class interaction in the Czech language classes. The research question is: 'How do teachers support students by providing feedback on students’ errors during whole-class discourse?' The study was designed as a qualitative investigation, with data collected through classroom observations and interviews with teachers (N=4). Four teachers from ninth grade participated in the study, with six lessons observed for each teacher (N=24). Data analysis was based on linguistic ethnography, accompanied by inductive coding. Based on the empirical data and an analysis of error situations (N = 153), two types of teacher feedback on student errors resulting from student misunderstanding were distinguished. Firstly, teachers tended to support students by providing hints and questions to encourage self-correction during curriculum practice, mainly using closed-ended questions. Secondly, teachers supported students by fostering discussion or explaining the source of the error in the case of open-ended questions. The results indicate that analyzing the nature of error situations in relation to teacher questions and feedback is essential for understanding the principles of teacher error management behavior.