English Preparatory Learners’ Beliefs Regarding Grammar Instruction and Corrective Feedback: Convergences and Divergences

Abstract

This study aspires to unravel language learners’ beliefs about grammar instruction and corrective feedback (CF). One hundred and ninety-one learners from three proficiency levels at an English preparatory school in Istanbul participated in the study. The data were collected through a Likert scale questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Findings showed that learners generally appreciated the importance of grammar and CF in language acquisition. They also generally preferred 1) deductive to inductive instruction, 2) self-correction to teacher-correction oral CF, 3) direct written CF to indirect written CF 4) delayed correction to immediate correction, and 5) focused correction of specific errors to comprehensive correction of all errors. Despite the existing general tendency, conflicting expectations of learners on several related issues underscored the need for more versatile teaching instruction, surgical treatment of learners’ errors and regular classroom discussion between learners and teachers to exchange information on their expectations.