Application of clearly defined feedback types, which have been correlated with improved student performance, has great potential for maximizing instructor use of feedback and its effect on a learner's self-regulatory learning (SRL) for optimized learning. Within SRL, where learner performance is influenced by a recursive internal process, instructional feedback plays a critical role. Yet, the characteristics of external feedback that influence SRL to improve performance are unclear in the literature. Within a theoretical framework where feedback catalyzes self-regulation, this quantitative study sought to integrate feedback type research to expand the SRL model. Data were graded assignments from 23 undergraduate level and 8 graduate level online university courses randomly selected from a pool of 86 possible courses. Applying non-experimental logistic regression and using descriptive statistics, feedback was categorized to determine the quantity of each of the 5 feedback types [task correctness (FC), task elaboration (TE), task process (FP), self-regulation (FR), and personal or self-related (FS)], as well as how they correlated with improved performance. The results indicate that the feedback types were not normally distributed, FS was statistically not present and FE was most used, and the logistical regression indicated that the presence of FC and FR was minimally associated with improved performance. Additional experimentation is needed to normalize the type distribution and test the strength of the FC and FR effect. This study initiated a clarification in understanding the external component of feedback in the SRL model, which is necessary to harness feedback to create positive change in the self-regulatory processes of learners.

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers use different strategies to support language acquisition when teaching. This study focuses on one particular strategy: Oral Corrective Feedback (OCF). It is provided to support learners’ oral language skills, and takes numerous potential forms which can either be implemented implicitly and/or explicitly. According to many studies, recast is the type of OCF most commonly used by EFL teachers. Studies demonstrate however, that recast is the least effective approach for EFL learners’ uptake. The aim of this research study is to investigate how Swedish EFL teachers provide students with OCF. In addition, the intention is also to explore teachers’ and students’ perceptions of the usefulness of OCF for their skills development in English. The focus of this research study is on Swedish primary schools of grades 4-6. Two types of data-gathering methods were used in this study: interviews and observations. The results confirm that both explicit and implicit OCF was provided when observing the teachers’ approaches and strategies in classroom settings. Surprisingly, this research study reveals that recast was not favoured by the Swedish EFL teachers as they considered other types of OCF to be more beneficial to EFL classroom settings.

Lärare använder sig av olika metoder för att hjälpa studenter att utveckla de verktyg de behöver för att lära sig engelska, eller något annat ämne. En metod här är muntlig feedback, som används för att uppmuntra elever eller korrigera dem när de utför språkliga fel. Vårt mål med detta examensarbete är därför att undersöka vilka typer av muntlig feedback som kan hittas i ett klassrum där man lär sig engelska som främmande språk och vilka attityder som både lärare och studenter kan ha gentemot muntlig feedback. Tre typer av undersökningsmetoder har använts: observationer, intervjuer och enkäter. Resultatet visar på att studenter förhåller sig positivt till muntlig feedback i klassrummet, särskilt explicit corrective feedback. Däremot var denna typ av feedback minst använd i klassrummet på grund av att lärarna tror på andra typer av feedback vara mer fördelaktiga. / Teachers use different methods to help students acquire the tools needed to learn English, or any other subject for that matter. One method is oral feedback, which is used to immediately encourage students or correct them when making an error. Our aim is therefore to investigate what kind of oral feedback can be found in a EFL-classroom and what attitudes both teachers and students have towards oral feedback. Three types of research tools were used: observation, interviews and questionnaire. The results show that the students were positive to oral feedback in the classroom, especially explicit corrective feedback. On the other hand, this type of feedback was the least used one in the classroom due to the teachers’ believing that other kinds of oral feedback are more beneficial.