Exploring Language Learners’ Perceptions of Explicit Corrections and Scaffolded Corrective Feedback in the Use of Articles in Oral Productions

The present study explores Iranian EFL learners’ perceptions of two types of corrective feedback, i.e., explicit and scaffolded feedback in oral productions. To this end, 30 female EFL learners selected through convenience sampling from two intact classes at a language school in Behbahan, Iran, were randomly assigned into two explicit and scaffolded feedback groups. The participants were all junior and senior high school students aged 15 to 20 at the intermediate level. A qualitative approach in the form of a series of semi-structured interviews was adopted to deeply explore the language learners’ perceptions of the corrective feedback types in question. The findings of the interviews demonstrated that half of the language learners in the explicit group set great store by explicit corrective feedback, while the other half were less favourably disposed toward explicit feedback. Likewise, a significant number of language learners in both groups found the teacher’s corrective feedback distracting. However, the overwhelming majority of the language learners in the scaffolded group viewed scaffolded corrective feedback as beneficial. The implications of the findings are also elucidated.