Meaningful Grammar Feedback in English Writing Teacher Education

Abstract

This thesis investigates grammar feedback in English writing teacher education. It uses a qualitative multimethod design, drawing on a single-case study of a lecturer’s written corrective feedback and subsequent writing conferences with 18 students, as well as two interview studies with 12 students and 13 experienced lecturers. The findings show that lecturers and students tend to favour unfocused, metalinguistic and local feedback. However, their views differ with regard to oral/written, direct/indirect and elicitative/non-elicitative feedback. For example, lecturers favoured indirect feedback even though students considered it as frustrating. Lecturers and students must communicate better. The thesis increases our knowledge about how grammar feedback can be made meaningful. It shows that combinations of written feedback and writing conferences may improve feedback uptake. Ecological-agentic and linguo-didactic perspectives may help explain how students experience learning moments. Lecturers, however, should reflect on their feedback practices to ensure dialogic and fine-tuned feedback. Indeed, teacher education is as an assessment community that must promote assessment literacy.