PEDAGOGICAL PRECISION: INVESTIGATING ORAL CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK PRACTICES AMONG TANZANIAN SECONDARY EDUCATORS

Abstract

This paper investigates the use of oral corrective feedback (OCF) by English language teachers in Tanzanian secondary schools through classroom observation and interviews with teachers and students in two public secondary schools in Dar es Salaam City. The study employs Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory to analyze how teachers handled students’ spoken errors using different strategies and highlights the significance of OCF in promoting self-repair, reducing fossilization of errors and supporting language learning in Tanzanian secondary schools. Results indicate that explicit correction was the most frequently used strategy, while corrective comments were the least frequently used. Additionally, the learners’ levels of language proficiency influenced the teachers’ choice of OCF strategy. The study concludes by emphasizing the importance of effective OCF strategies in language classrooms and the significance of balancing numerous linguistic, cognitive, and circumstantial factors in teaching.