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
Related Articles:
EFL learners’ peer negotiations and attitudes in mobile-assisted collaborative writing
Shiou-Wen Yeh, Cheng-Ting Chen
Language Education and Assessment Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 41–56. 
Interculturality as collaborative identity management in language education
Claudia Borghetti
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 20–38.
Washback of ACTFL's Integrated Performance Assessment in an intensive summer language program at the tertiary level
Jason Martel
Language Education and Assessment Published: 31 August, 2019, Volume 2(2), 57–69.
Critical intercultural communication education: cultural analysis and pedagogical applications
Sofia A. Koutlaki, Zohreh R. Eslami
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 29 December, 2018, Volume 1(3), 100–109.
L2 motivation in ESP and EGP courses: An investigation of L2 motivational selves among learners of English in Saudi Arabia
Aser Nazzal K. Altalib
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 1–16.
Advancing intercultural learning in world language education: Recent developments in pre-service teacher education in the U.S.
Paula Garrett-Rucks
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 29 December, 2018, Volume 1(3), 110–122.
An investigation of learners' use of CAN and COULD
Lauren Whitty
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 32–46.
Integrating multimodal technologies with VARK strategies for learning and teaching EFL presentation: An investigation into learners' achievements and perceptions of the learning process
Yow-jyy Joyce Lee
Australian Journal of Applied Linguistics Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 17–31.
Teaching pragmatics: Nonnative-speaker teachers' knowledge, beliefs and reported practices
Christine Savvidou, Maria Economidou-Kogetsidis
Intercultural Communication Education Published: 30 April, 2019, Volume 2(1), 39–58.
Factors affecting immigrants' host country language proficiency: Focusing on the differences between migrant workers and marriage-migrant women in South Korea
In Young Yang, Seongseog Park, Sungjun Lee, Byeonggon Min
Migration and Language Education Published: 30 April, 2020, Volume 1(1), 14–30.