Motivation has been shown to be critical for L2 language development and it is thus imperative that teachers consider how classroom methods and tools contribute to student’s motivational state. One such tool, formative feedback, has been shown to help motivate students to complete tasks, and yet formative feedback may also potentially demotivate students under certain conditions. The current study uses semi-structured interviews of five 7-9 grade English teachers in the south of Sweden to investigate some teachers’ views and experiences of written formative feedback and its effect on facilitating or hindering student motivation in the L2 classroom. Regarding usage patterns, we found that teachers generally implement formative feedback in accordance with what is promoted in recent research literature. Furthermore, we found that teachers consider formative feedback to positively affect students in terms of increased motivation and positive academic outcomes. However, teachers also stress the importance of providing the right amount of formative feedback in a timely manner to preclude potentially negative effects such as students not understanding the feedback and thus, becoming demotivated and unable to learn from the feedback provided. Our study indicates that teachers in the Swedish L2 classroom context implement formative feedback to facilitate motivation, since they believe the concept helps students develop their knowledge, furthers engagement, creates awareness of development and provides a driving force within students to work harder.

This study will investigate the most efficient way of giving and receiving formative feedback. There will primarily be a focus on whether verbal formative feedback or written formative feedback is found to be more efficient by teachers and students. Furthermore, the study will also investigate if formative feedback is motivating for L2 learners. The purpose of our area of interest is that there is little research done on verbal and written approaches to formative feedback. Moreover, the educational authorities in Sweden claim that formative feedback can have little to no impact at all and in some cases even negative effects, which we find to be problematic. This research study is done on secondary school students in grades 7-9. Our findings included in the results section include eight primary sources with a focus on our area of interest. The findings indicate that a verbal approach to formative feedback is highly appreciated by students and teachers, because of its effectiveness. Our findings show that verbal formative feedback can highlight students' strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, it is efficient as it explains misunderstandings and is understood by the learners. To conclude, formative feedback has a twofold aim, on one hand, it motivates students and on the other hand, it is efficient for assigning grades.