This research will find its significance from two dimensions. Theoretically, thisstudy, by reflecting on researches of CF, highlights the socio-constructivist view oflearning and at the same time inclusively takes students as subjects of learning. Inaddition, by exploring the associations between L2 motivational variables and studentfeedback experience will provide evidence of external validity to Dörnyei’s L2MSS(2005). What is more, exploring WCF from the students’ view expands the researchperspective and research subjects. Practically, investigating learners’ preferences of WCFwill serve as a window into students’ needs and improve the effectiveness of correction.
Chapter 2 Literature Review
2.1 Definitions of Related Concepts
2.1.1 Feedback
According to whether students are included in the feedback, Carless (2015) dividesdefinitions of feedback given by researchers into two main paradigms, i.e., the old and thenew. The “old paradigm” refers to the one-way communication of written correctivecomments, where feedback is conceptualized as an issue of “knowledge of results” or“correction of errors”, and where the role of feedback is to “put things right” by taking acorrective action (Gibbs & Simpson, 2004). Then, in this way, students are characterizedas “passive recipients of feedback information”, and the main purpose of this type offeedback is to “confirm or change a student’s knowledge as represented by answers to testor assignment questions” (Butler & Winne, 1995: 246). However, guided by thesocio-constructivist view of learning, the definition of feedback has changed into whatCarless (2015) refers to as the “new paradigm”. This definition is well described by Boudand Molloy (2013: 205) as “a process whereby learners obtain information about theirwork in order to appreciate similarities and differences between the appropriate standardsfor any given work, and the qualities of the work itself, in order to generate improvedwork”. As we can see, this definition is not a one-way communication as the so-called oldparadigm, in which students are fully considered as an important subject in feedback. Thenew concept of feedback shows the transmission of dominant role in the process of feedback: from teacher-controlled delivery to a student-engaged process (Carless & Boud,2018).
Since the role of students as subjects in language acquisition process is emphasized,so is their role in feedback. As a bidirectional interaction, both the teachers and studentsplay important roles in feedback, which can be considered as a two-way communication.This is to say, encountering teachers’ feedback, students react differently, which results indifferent effects as to see whether certain feedback is more preferred than others.Therefore, teachers can choose more effective ways to give feedback that cater tostudents’ preference.
2.2 Theoretical Basis
2.2.1 Theory of Humanism
Humanism initially appears in the documents of ancient Greek and Rome. Itformerly refers to the feeling and spirits of human, which in the modern time, experiencesa great change, asserting to the pursuit of life value.
Humanism cares about human’s passion and dignity, views human as a whole, andadvocates creating a good learning environment for learners, which attracts interest ofeducators. Maslow (1943), a famous advocator of humanism, believes that there are fivekinds of human needs. If a person’s first four needs (physiology, security, belonging, andlove and respect) are met, then the fifth need, the need of self-actualization, will becomehis driving force. Fundamentally, with the help of education, the fifth need is thestimulation of learners’ intrinsic learning motivation. In this way, learners can break theshackles, carry out self-education freely, and finally meet the needs of self-realization.Rogers proposed that humanistic education should be learner-centered, and studentsshould actively absorb interesting knowledge driven by curiosity,
