EXAMINING THE CAUSES UNDERLYING LEARNERS’ CLARIFICATION REQUESTS IN EFL CONTEXT

Authors : Kenan Acarol

Pages : 1-24

View : 34 | Download : 33

Publication Date : 2024-07-16

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :For decades, Corrective Feedback (CF) has received considerable attention in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) and much research has been conducted on this subject. Clarification Requests (CRs), one of the corrective feedback types, refers to a conversational strategy used when there is ambiguity or incomprehension. In the second language (L2) learning context, CRs is a highly neglected area that deserves due attention. In order to comprehend the reasons for learners\' lack of understanding encountered in the L2 learning process, more studies should be conducted in this area. This paper, therefore, aimed to develop a scale investigating the underlying causes for CRs made in the language learning process. After developing the statements of the scale (which were based on students’ written responses) a pilot study was performed with 100 preparatory classroom students in a public university in Alanya, Antalya, Turkey. After the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), the CRs scale was determined to have two main factors (F1: language and learner-related factors, F2: concentration or motivation-related factors), consisting of 13 statements, each representing a different cause for CRs. To verify the findings obtained from the pilot study, the main study was conducted with the participation of 138 learners, and the factor structure of the developed scale was confirmed after the confirmatory factor analysis. The findings of this study have also shown that language-related factors (e.g., unknown vocabulary, lack of language proficiency) are the most common causes of CRs.
Keywords : corrective feedback, clarification requests, ask for clarification