LEARNERS AFFECTIVE ENGAGEMENT WITH CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON ORAL PRESENTATIONS IN EFL UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS

Abstract

The present study investigated Pakistani English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ affective engagement with teachers’ corrective feedback (CF) on their oral presentations. Fifty undergraduate students studying English language courses from three different universities participated in the study. The research first explored students’ views on CF-related practices, including timing (immediate vs. delayed), mode (public vs. private), and focus (language accuracy vs. content and delivery). Second, students’ individual and contextual factors were examined, particularly regarding speaking skills, feedback expectations, and attitudes toward error correction. Third, the study analyzed how these factors shaped students’ emotional responses to CF in emotionally laden speaking skill tasks. Data from open-ended questionnaires, classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, stimulated recalls and reflected accounts revealed that while students sometimes ignored teachers’oral and written comments, they held a positive attitude for corrective feedback and expressed appreciation for its role in their language learning and communication skills development. The feedback process elicited a spectrum of distinct emotional responses, ranging from feelings of encouragement and motivation to moments of apprehension, discomfort or self-consciousness, which varied across individuals. It is also observed that students with better proficiency were more appreciative of feedback provided. The findings of the paper offer valuable pedagogical implications for English as a foreign language (EFL) instruction, particularly for oral performances and tasks. The findings suggest that teachers can play a pivotal role in shaping the emotional climate of feedback encounters, helping students transform potentially negative emotional reactions into constructive learning opportunities. By fostering an atmosphere of respect, encouragement, and mutual trust, EFL teachers can enhance students’ willingness to receive and act on corrective feedback, thereby maximizing the affective and cognitive benefits of the feedback process. In short, the study highlights the need for feedback approaches that balance accuracy-focused instruction with strategies that protect learners’ confidence in oral performance settings.