Beliefs, Emotions, and Introspection in the L2 Classroom

The Problem 
Some students’ beliefs and emotions of shyness, embarrassment and low self-esteem may affect how they respond in class while learning a second or foreign language. How can we, as language teachers, help these students? 

The Study 
This article reports the case study of three students who were studying to become English teachers in Brazil. Through several different techniques (interviews, questionnaires, journals, etc.), the researcher collected information on the students’ beliefs, how these affected their emotions, and how they felt about themselves when learning English. The students’ had feelings of shyness, embarrassment, and low self-esteem when speaking in class because of considering themselves as having a lower proficiency level compared to the more advanced students in their class and their teacher. The results showed that simply through the process of reflection and introspection, some beliefs and hence attitudes may be changed for the better. 

The Take-Home Message 
As language teachers we should be aware that our students’ feelings of self-awareness, shyness, embarrassment may interfere with how they act or respond in class, especially when it comes to speaking in a second/foreign language. We can encourage our students to reflect on their feelings and beliefs in order to see if these might be negatively affecting their performance in class as well as to alleviate some of their negative feelings. 

Article Citation
Aragao, R. (2011). Beliefs and emotions in second language learning. System, 39, 302-113.

Entry by María Nelly Gutierrez Arvizu

Feedback on L2 Writing

The Problem

Have you ever wondered what students are thinking when they see the feedback you give them on their writing, or whether they learn from it?

The Study

Storch and Wigglesworth (2010) examined the efficacy of direct (reformulation) and indirect (editing symbols) feedback and the factors impacting advanced learners’ processing, uptake, and retention. They found the following: (1) Editing symbols prompt learners to engage more deeply than reformulation-type feedback; (2) The more students engage with the feedback, the more likely they are to learn from it; but (3) The learning that results from feedback may depend on the type of errors as well as the learners' beliefs about and attitudes toward the feedback they receive.

The Take-Home Message

There are no hard and fast rules for giving written feedback, but this study indicates that editing symbols may be best for lexical and grammatical errors, while reformulations can be used for mechanical and formatting mistakes. In addition, as teachers, we can help learners build positive beliefs, attitudes, and goals for using the feedback we give them by discussing our feedback choices openly with them.

Article Citation

Storch, N. and Wigglesworth, G. (2010). Learners’ processing, uptake, and retention of corrective feedback on writing. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32, 303-334.

Entry by Qiandi Liu

Curator's note: There is a rich body of research on written corrective feedback. Those interested in this topic might want to check out Bitchener and Ferris' (2011) book: Written Corrective Feedback in Second Language Acquisition and Writing.