Volume 17, Issue 3 December 2021, pp. 203–232 
Regular Articles
Learner engagement with corrective feedback using think-aloud protocols
Pedro Fernández-Michels 
1, Laia Canals Fornons 2
1 Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, SPAIN 
2 Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, SPAIN
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v17n3.461
Abstract
Online language learning environments where asynchronous communication is the main form of relation between learners and teachers require learners to use self-regulatory skills that help them control their learning process and compensate for the lack of interaction with their teachers (Fernández-Toro & Furnborough, 2014; Fernández-Toro & Hurd, 2014). In such context, feedback can constitute a driver of self-regulation, facilitating information about the learning process that can contribute to the development of self-regulatory skills (Yu, Jiang & Zhou, 2020). The present article aims to provide insights about how online learners of German as a foreign language engage with written corrective feedback and co-construct meaning (Nicol, 2010). The eleven participants received two different types of corrective feedback: direct explicit feedback on one written assignment and indirect feedback using metalinguistic information and error categorization on the other. Upon receiving the feedback information, the learners were asked to carry out two screen-recorded think-aloud protocols. This article reports on the data obtained through these protocols after conducting thematic analysis (Brown & Clarke, 2006). The results show how learners engaged with each feedback modality and reveal that the feedback revision generated expression of self-regulatory actions such as reflection on their performance, evaluation, and planning.
Copyright
© Pedro Fernández-Michels, Laia Canals Fornons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Suggested citation
Fernández-Michels, P., & Canals Fornons, L. (2021). Learner engagement with corrective feedback using think-aloud protocols. The JALT CALL Journal, 17(3), 203–232. https://doi.org/10.29140/jaltcall.v17n3.461
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