The Impact of Positive Teacher’s Feedback (中学英语教学论文)
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Students’ Learning Interest in Chinese EFL Classroom

----- A Questionnaire to Chinese Senior EFL Learners

Xu Shanbiao
Abstract: Anxiety may have negative effects on EFL learning. Many elements may cause anxiety, among which negative feedback from the teacher is one of the most essential. But it still leaves doubts whether or not the positive feedback from the teacher promotes the interest of students’ learning. A questionnaire was made to find out the evidences. From the findings, some results come out that negative feedback frustrates students’ interests of learning, while positive feedback promotes students’ learning. For this, teachers are suggested adopting more positive feedback in EFL (English as Foreign Language) classroom.
Key words: teacher, student, positive feedback, interest
Introduction:
For decades scholars have been investigating the students’ anxiety in their foreign language learning. To name a few, Maclntyre and Gardner (1989,1991a, 1991c, 1994 b) conducted several studies to understand the mechanism of anxiety in L2 learning and to identify the effect of anxiety on learners’ language achievement, while E.K Horwitz and her colleagues (E. K. Horwitz, M.Horwitz, & Cope, 1986) developed an instrument to measure EFL ( English as Foreign Language) anxiety. Although many studies identified negative effects of students’ anxiety on their performance and achievement, the researchers’ primary intent lies in identifying the source of anxiety in the classroom. Many students feel tenser and more nervous in FL class than in any other class (Camphell & Ortiz, 1991.E.K.Horwitz et al.1986. Maclntyre and Gardner, 1989) and their anxiety seems to come predominantly from the speaking situation in class E.K.Horwitz et al.1986, Koch & TERRELL, 1992, price, 1991 Young, 1990) In light of today’s professional interest in developing students’ oral skills and in using proficiency-based assessment, the question of how to reduce students’ negative anxiety should be addressed more than ever. We need to continue our efforts to identify the sources of anxiety, so that teachers will be able to prevent it, respond to it appropriately, and help students enjoy EFL learning.
There are many potential sources of learners’ anxiety in the EFL classroom. Among which is the teachers’ harsh manner of correcting students’ mistakes. This paper conducts a quantitative investigation, using a questionnaire investigation to check whether positive feedback from the teacher impacts on the students’ learning interests or not.
Relative Research and Theory: Affective Filter Hypothesis（Ellis, R, 1986）
The affective elements that influence foreign language learning include the individual motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Krashen sees the affective elements as the filter that can be adjusted, through which the language input can pass freely or be prevented from passing. Meanwhile language input can’t be changed into the acquired system and be absorbed into the brain unless the filter helps. As a result, In the EFL learning, strong motivation and low anxiety are helpful for the students to acquire the second language.
Fear of negative evaluation is defined as “ an apprehension about others’ evaluation, avoidance of evaluation situations, and the expectation that others would evaluate oneself negatively”（Waston & Friend, 1969 as cited in Horwitz et al, 1986, P.128). Students may also be acutely sensitive to the evaluation----- real or imagined----- of their peers or teacher.
Students may fear making mistakes in oral practice. In Young’s (1990) survey study, most Spanish learners indicated that they would be willing to participate voluntarily in classroom practice if they were not afraid of saying the wrong thing. Price’s (1990) qualitative interview study also found that students were afraid of making errors in pronunciation. Students’ concern about speaking in front of their peers was also recognized as a situational source of anxiety in EFL classroom.
Generally speaking, the exchange pattern between teacher and students in classroom is T----S----T (From:Tsui, 1995, He Anping), that is, first the teacher poses some questions, then the students response to the questions, finally the teacher gives the students’ performance some evaluation-----feedback. Of the three periods, the last one plays a significant role in putting the reaction forwards. It is also a frequently used way for the teacher to praise and satisfy students with enjoyment of achievement or progress. Even though the progress is very little, the students will be interested in the teacher as well as his lesson. Otherwise, he may lose his confidence in learning.
Method:
Participant:
The participants in this study consist of 100 students enrolled in English course in Shanshui Middle School of Experiment. Ninety-three responds were handed in, among whom 36 students ranked in the slow level, 42 students in the intermediate level, 15 students in the advanced level. There were 53 male students (57%) and 40 female students (43%). The participants came from 7 different classes respectively. Thirty-three students were from city and 60 students from countryside.
Instrument:
A survey with 20 items of multiple choices was designed for this study. It contained two parts. The first part is about the interest of learning English. The latter part is about the positive evaluation scale.
Each item is scored on a 5-point scale, with 1 point as the lowest and 5 point as the highest value, 3 stands the medium.
The content of the questionnaire sees Appendix 1.
Method and Result:
Points of each item in the 1st part were added up into a value named as S.I, representing scores of interest. Similarly, points of each item in the 2nd part were also added up into a value, named as P.F, representing positive feedback.
In Figure 1, each P. F is divided by corresponding S.I. That is to say, in the coordinate axis, P.F is in X Axis. S.I is in Y Axis. By dividing, we can get the tangent. If the tendency of the tangent is 1, the positive feedback is direct proportion to the interest of the learning.
Y
5

4
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　●　
3　　　　　　　●●●●
　　　　　　　　　　　　●●●●●
2 ●●●●●　
3 ●●
●　
1


0 1 2 3 4 5 X
Figure 1
T-Test
Group Statistics
Student N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Students’ interest Top student 15 4.053 .396 .102
Slow student 36 2.331 .428 7.136E-02
Positive feedback Top student 15 3.993 .397 .103
Slow student 36 2.339 .418 6.972E-02
Figure 2
T-Test
Group Statistics
Class N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean
Students’ interest Experienced teacher, Class 2 13 3.615 .700 .194
Inexperienced
teacher, Class7 14 2.721 .841 .225
Positive feedback Experienced teacher, class2 13 3.623 .763 .212
Inexperienced teacher, Class7 14 2.743 .746 .199
Figure 3
According to figure 1, it indicates that there are 41 papers with the result of tangent>1, 52 papers with the result of tangent<1. The mean average tangent of the 41 papers is 1.072 and the one of 52 papers is 0.974. The result can be described as some points in the coordinate respectively. According to this, most of the points tend to the line in the middle, whose slope is 1. That means most of the students’ interests are relative to the feedback from the teacher.
According to Figure 2, the top group accepts the most positive feedback, whereas the slow group accepts the least positive feedback.
According Figure 3, if the teacher adopts more positive feedback, the students get more interested in EFL learning, otherwise the students may lose their interests of learning.
Discussion:
1 Positive feedback stimulates the students’ interests
Basically, if the teacher gives the students sufficient positive feedback, the students can enjoy the sense of superiority. In this way the students will create stronger and stronger interest of learning for everyone has the need of being satisfied and esteemed. Some educator holds the idea that the art of teaching doesn’t depend on imparting, but on the encouraging, arousing and inspiring the students. Sears (D. Sears, 1963) indicated with evidence in case that the teacher encourages enthusiastically, the students may become more creative. In addition, the famous American, psychologist and educator Skinner argued that by appraising, the performance is likely to be remembered. Instead, by punishing the students, the performance is likely to be refused. As a result, the teachers are supposed to encourage the students more frequently rather than punish them during the feedback. Only in this way, the anxiety of the students can be reduced. Gradually the students can acquire the language in the atmosphere of relaxation. Consequently they will become more interested in English learning.
2 Different students are influenced variously in degree.
The students vary greatly according to their degree of English. The top students can answer the question, they are often praised by the teacher and admired by other students, so their achievements are fully affirmed. Of course, the interest will last for long. For the intermediate level students, occasionally they accept positive feedback, they keep the original interest. As for the slow students, they hate being called on in class for fear of negative feedback, when they are called on, they often keep silent or make the wrong answer, consequently the teachers often ignore their performance in the fear of wasting time. So the students haven’t the chance to think over the question. To them, they seem to have nothing to do with English class, so they lose the interest.
3 The teacher who adopts more positive feedback, the more interested his student get.
Different teachers evaluate the students in different way in the classroom. According to Figure 3, the teachers who often adopt the way of the positive feedback are popular, whereas the ones who don’t adopt the way are refused. This is the same as what the interviewed students said: “When the teacher praise me for my performance, I will feel confident in my English work. This state can last for several weeks.” Another interviewee also said that when the teacher criticized him for doing something wrong in class, he may feel upset for days.
To sum up, the students’ interest in English learning is to some extent relative to the teachers’ feedback. Positive feedback makes interest of learning, while negative feedback frustrates the students in the interest of learning. According to the students’ English level, the teachers employ more positive feedback to the top students than to the others.
Implication
1 The teacher should keep the concept of positive feedback in mind.
As a teacher, he or she should adopt positive feedback more frequently. Try best to develop the potential of the students. Since every one has his or her advantages, the teacher may start with praising the students’ advantages, even though the advantages have nothing to do with English learning or it is very little. Little by little, he or she eventually makes the students get interested in English learning. It is believed that nobody likes to hear something bad about oneself.
2 Create the equal chance to obtain the sense of superiority.
Every student has right to learn and the teacher should take responsibility for all, not just for a part. The teacher’s achievement should be evaluated by the criteria if he or she can teaches the whole class well or not. If he or she can only cultivate a few top students, it doesn’t necessarily show that he or she is an excellent teacher. That is to say, the teacher has no reason to exclude the others. Of course, every teacher would like the top students. This seems to be understandable, but how about the others? Maybe some teachers complaint that “If I call them on in class and they usually keep silent or make the wrong answer, it is a waste of time and it becomes impossible for me to finish the teaching plan.” On the contrary, if teacher guides them patiently, gives them enough clues, try to let them think it over freely, this may change the dilemma situation. The main aim is how to make them enjoy the sense of superiority, by which they can become interested in English learning. If the teacher can reach this point, the students will study after class spontaneously. This is much better than compulsively demand the students to learn.
3 Adopt various methods according to different level groups.
Different student has different characteristics. The teacher should perform the practice separately. For the top group, besides appraising, compliment, the teacher must offer them higher demand in case that they are too pride in learning. In addition, supplying them with some challenge questions is the best way to stimulate their new interest. This leads the members in this group to create competition. For the inter- mediate level group, employing the way of encourage-oriented method, supply them with some easy questions. As for the slow or naughty students, the best way is to respect and believe them, then supply them with the simplest question, try to find out the superiority and praise them immediately.
4 How to correct error.
Making mistakes is a common thing for students in class. The key point is how to respond to this situation. The inexperienced teacher usually corrects every error the students made in the hope that they will not do wrong again. But for the experienced teacher, he or she would never do that except that it is necessary, for if correcting error appears in class too often, the students are likely to lose their confidence and interest. What’s more, it takes a period of time to correct the error. The better way is to let the students recognize the error in the course of communicative work by themselves, especially for the slow students.
Conclusion:
Positive feedback from the teacher influences the interest of learning more for elementary level students than for the intermediate and advanced level students. Of course, there are other possibilities causing the students to lose the interest. Anyway the positive feedback promotes the interest, especially in the spoken tasks. In the teaching practice, if the teacher constantly praises and encourages the students, helps them to build up the self-confidence, the students will be interested in English and make progress gradually.
It is hoped that these findings will motivate classroom teachers to identify that positive feedback promote the interest of learning and provide the students a supportive learning environment. Further research should be encouraged to replicate some parts of this study or revise or expand it so that positive feedback in the language classroom will be further clarified and handled appropriately, thereby promoting the improvement of language teaching for all teachers.
Acknowledgement: Thanks to Miss Zhang for the patient guidance during the busy time. Hereby the teachers and the students in Shanshui Middle School of Experiment are also thankful for their co –operation.
Bibliography: Gui Shichun : Applied Linguistics, Hunan Education Press 1988
He Anping: Foreign Language Teaching Syllabus, TeachingMaterials and Classroom Teaching Design & Evaluation
Guangdong Education Press 2001
He Guangkeng : English Pedaological Basis Jinan University Press 1995
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