Casting Light on Teacher Recasts: Learner Noticing and Interpretation

The role of teacher feedback as a contributor to effective instruction has long been established. However, the types of feedback frequently exploited during English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction and the efficiency of teacher feedback types, addressed in this study, warranted thorough investigation. Moreover,  the recasts noticed by learners and the gaps they conveyed were scrutinized to investigate the correspondence between recast types and their interpretation with an eye to learner English proficiency level. To this end, a recast-sensitive teacher’s oral recasts, in four intact communicative English classes, were investigated. To capture the recast episodes,  six class sessions were video-recorded, and follow-up stimulated recall interviews on the teachers’ and students’ thoughts and perceptions of each recast were audio-taped. Then the teacher and 31 learners, who had received recasts, were interviewed. The analysis of the coded qualitative data was guided by Nabei and Swain’s (2002) classification of recast types. It revealed that the most frequent recast types were simple, vocabulary-focused, incorporated declarative, direct, and corrective with or without the intention to communicate which also corresponded with the learners’ noticing of the recast. Moreover, chi-square tests indicated that only the linguistic targets were significantly related to learners’ accurate interpretation while the inaccurate learner interpretations were predominantly meaning-focused. The analysis also indicated a positive correspondence between the learners’ English proficiency level and their accurate interpretation of the recasts perceived. The findings have implications for teachers as the results can sensitize them to recast multi-dimensional treatment and their efficient manipulation.