Gender differences in the responses of ESL students to teacher feedback
Ferguson, Theresa Ann
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/125882
Description
Title
Gender differences in the responses of ESL students to teacher feedback
Author(s)
Ferguson, Theresa Ann
Issue Date
2002
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Berg, E. Catherine
Davidson, Fred
Department of Study
Linguistics
Discipline
Teaching English as a Second Language
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.A.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Teaching English as Second Language
Language
eng
Abstract
During the past three decades, feedback to the writing of foreign and second language students has received considerable attention from researchers. However, little attention has been paid to the responses of ESL students to this feedback. Moreover, research into a relationship between L2 student response types and certain variables has been ignored. Yet, educational psychology studies of native students have found a relationship between response to feedback and the variable of gender. Two exploratory studies were conducted to examine perceptions of evaluative feedback as a function of the respondent's gender. In the first study, Study A, eleven undergraduate students in one ESL course completed a questionnaire outside of class and their teacher was interviewed to determine the scope of gender differences (i.e., differences between but not within gender) in responsiveness to feedback. The questionnaire data and interview results revealed gender differences in response to negative evaluative feedback. Specifically, a majority of male students criticized their instructor in regard to her negative feedback whereas nearly all female students agreed with her assessments. The second study, Study B, was conducted to examine the findings of the Study A questionnaire. In this study, 31 undergraduate participants in three ESL courses completed self-report questionnaires during class time. Unlike Study A, student response to negative feedback in Study B did not break along gender lines. Also, a majority of male and female students agreed with their teachers' assessments. Possible reasons for the discrepancies between Study A and Study B findings will be discussed as well as future research implications of the discrepancies.
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