Exploring Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Students’ Errors and Effective Corrective Feedback Strategies in EFL Teaching: A Case Study of a Vocational High School in China

Xuan Luo

doi:10.63313/ESW.9040

Authors

Xuan Luo China West Normal University, Nanchong 637002, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/ESW.9040

Keywords:

Error Correction, Vocational Education, Self-Correction, Peer Feedback, EFL Pedagogy, Affective Factors

Abstract

Mistakes are an inseparable element of the language acquisition journey, particularly within the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) setting, so this study explored teachers' stances regarding students' mistakes and put forward practicable corrective feedback approaches based on a case study carried out at a vocational high school in Nanchong, China, where students frequently demonstrated restricted English competence, and by combining theoretical models like the Interaction Hypothesis and Affective Filter Hypothesis with classroom observations, the research emphasized the significance of nurturing a positive outlook on mistakes, encouraging self-correction, and utilizing peer feedback, and the results indicated that indirect correction methods (for instance, recasts and prompts) and positive reinforcement lessened foreign language anxiety while fostering students' autonomy and self-assurance, and the findings underlined the effectiveness of indirect correction and positive reinforcement in promoting autonomy, providing practical suggestions to turn mistakes into learning chances for low-proficiency learners

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