EXAMINING THE CAUSES UNDERLYING LEARNERS’ CLARIFICATION REQUESTS IN EFL CONTEXT

Year 2024, Volume: 13 Issue: 1, 1 - 24, 16.07.2024

Kenan Acarol

Abstract

For decades, Corrective Feedback (CF) has received considerable attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and much research has been conducted on this subject. Clarification Requests (CRs), one of the corrective feedback types, refers to a conversational strategy used when there is ambiguity or incomprehension. In the second language (L2) learning context, CRs is a highly neglected area that deserves due attention. In order to comprehend the reasons for learners' lack of understanding encountered in the L2 learning process, more studies should be conducted in this area. This paper, therefore, aimed to develop a scale investigating the underlying causes for CRs made in the language learning process. After developing the statements of the scale (which were based on students’ written responses) a pilot study was performed with 100 preparatory classroom students in a public university in Alanya, Antalya, Turkey. After the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the CRs scale was determined to have two main factors (F1: language and learner-related factors, F2: concentration or motivation-related factors), consisting of 13 statements, each representing a different cause for CRs. To verify the findings obtained from the pilot study, the main study was conducted with the participation of 138 learners, and the factor structure of the developed scale was confirmed after the confirmatory factor analysis. The findings of this study have also shown that language-related factors (e.g., unknown vocabulary, lack of language proficiency) are the most common causes of CRs.

Keywords

corrective feedback, clarification requests, ask for clarification

References

• Brinton, B., Fujiki, M., Loeb, D. F., & Winkler, E. (1986). Development of conversational repair strategies in response to requests for clarification. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 29(1), 75-81.
• Brown, H. D. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (Vol. 4). New York: Longman.
• Brown, R. (1968). The development of wh questions in child speech. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 7(2), 279-290.
• Burt, M. K. (1975). Error analysis in the adult EFL classroom. TESOL Quarterly, 53-63.
• Carroll, S., & Swain, M. (1993). Explicit and implicit negative feedback: An empirical study of the learning of linguistic generalizations. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 15(3), 357-386.
• Chaudron, C. (1977). A descriptive model of discourse in the corrective treatment of learners’ errors. Language Learning, 27(1), 29-46.
• Cherry, L. J. (1979). The role of adults' requests for clarification in the language development of children. In New Directions in Discourse Processing (p. 273). Praeger.
• Cicognani, E., & Zani, B. (1988). The clarification request in teacher-child conversation. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 3(3), 303-315.
• Corder, S. P. (1967). 1967: The significance of learners' errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 5, 161–170.
• Corsaro, W. A. (1977). The clarification request as a feature of adult interactive styles with young children. Language in Society, 6(2), 183-207.
• Cortina, J. M. (1993). What is coefficient alpha? An examination of theory and applications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(1), 98.
• Ellis, R. (1997). Second language acquisition. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
• Ellis, R., Basturkmen, H., & Loewen, S. (2001). Learner uptake in communicative ESL lessons. Language Learning, 51(2), 281-318.
• Ferketich, S. (1991). Focus on psychometrics. Aspects of item analysis. Research in Nursing & Health, 14(2), 165-168.
• Hendrickson, J. M. (1978). Error correction in foreign language teaching: Recent theory, research, and practice. The Modern Language Journal, 62(8), 387-398.
• Kaiser, H. F. (1974). An index of factorial simplicity. Psychometrika, 39(1), 31-36.
• Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling. (Second Edition). NY: Guilford Publications,Inc.
• Langford, D. (1981). The clarification request sequence in conversation between mothers and their children. Adult-child Conversation, 159-174.
• Li, S. (2010). The effectiveness of corrective feedback in SLA: A meta‐analysis. Language Learning, 60(2), 309-365.
• Long, M. H. (1996). ‘The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition’. In W. C. Ritchie and T. K. Bhatia (Eds): Handbook of Second Language Acquisition. New York: Academic Press, pp. 413–68.
• Lyster, R., & Ranta, L. (1997). Corrective feedback and learner uptake: Negotiation of form in communicative classrooms. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 19(1), 37-66.
• Lyster, R., Saito, K., & Sato, M. (2013). Oral corrective feedback in second language classrooms. Language Teaching, 46(1), 1-40.
• Mackey, A. (2006). Feedback, noticing and instructed second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 27(3), 405-430.
• Panova, I., & Lyster, R. (2002). Patterns of corrective feedback and uptake in an adult ESL classroom. Tesol Quarterly, 36(4), 573-595.
• Pawlak, M. (2013). Error correction in the foreign language classroom: Reconsidering the issues. Springer Science & Business Media.
• Robinson, W. P. (1984). The development of communicative competence with language in young children: a social psychological perspective. The Social Dimension, 1, 28-51.
• Russell, J., & Spada, N. (2006). The effectiveness of corrective feedback for the acquisition of L2 grammar. Synthesizing Research on Language Learning and Teaching, 13, 133-164.
• Schermelleh-Engel, K., Moosbrugger, H., & Müller, H. (2003). Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: Tests of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods of Psychological Research Online, 8(2), 23-74.
• Sheen, Y. (2004). Corrective feedback and learner uptake in communicative classrooms across instructional settings. Language Teaching Research, 8(3), 263-300.
• Ellis, R., & Sheen, Y. (2011). Corrective feedback in language teaching. In Hinkel, E. (ed), Handbook of Research in Second Language Teaching and Learning (Vol. 2, pp. 593-610). New York: Routledge.
• Suzuki, M. (2004). Corrective feedback and learner uptake in adult ESL classrooms. TESOL & Applied Linguistics. Columbia: Columbia University Press
• Tabachnick, B. G., Fidell, L. S., & Ullman, J. B. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (Vol. 5, pp. 481-498). Boston, MA: Pearson.
• Yang, J. (2016). Learners' oral corrective feedback preferences in relation to their cultural background, proficiency level and types of error. System, 61, 75-86.
• Yoshida, R. (2008). Teachers' choice and learners' preference of corrective feedback types. Language Awareness, 17(1), 78-93.