Abstract:
Over the last few decades, the role played by the corrective feedback (CF) in Second Language
Acquisition has become a highly controversial issue. As a facilitator in ESL classroom, the
researcher has also noticed both positive and negative aspects of corrective feedback on
speaking. Some students correct their errors after receiving the corrective feedback while some
make the same error repeatedly. Thus, it can be assumed that sometimes students do not
consciously note their errors in speaking. The researcher observes this situation as a new
research avenue in Sri Lankan context, which should further be explored. In this context, this
study aims to investigate the effectiveness of corrective feedback on speaking through the
perceptions of ESL learners and teachers. The research study was carried out among two
randomly selected groups of first year IT undergraduates of Sri Lanka Institute of Information
Technology (SLIIT). One group was from the Elementary Level (N= 30) while the other group
was from the Advanced Level (N= 30). The objective of selecting two different ability groups
was to investigate whether the students’ perceptions towards the efficacy of corrective feedback
is affected by their performance level. Data was also collected from lecturers (N= 6) who teach
the first year undergraduates of SLIIT to find out their perceptions towards the effectiveness of
corrective feedback. Quantitative data was collected through well-structured questionnaires and
analysed using SPSS. Classroom observations are made to obtain a better picture of the
perceptions of students. The findings of this research show different perceptions of Sri Lankan
ESL learners and teachers towards the efficacy of corrective feedback. Most of the teachers and
students believe that corrective feedback is certainly effective. Repetition is the most preferred
type of corrective feedback among students of Elementary Level while implicit corrective
feedback and explicit corrective feedback are the most preferred type of corrective feedback
among students of Advanced Level. Moreover, this research identifies key factors that can be
investigated in further research. Thus, this research has important implications for second
language teaching and learning in Sri Lankan context.
