Student engagement with oral feedback on second language learning: A methodological review

The effectiveness of feedback and its impact on learning outcomes ultimately depend on whether and how students respond to feedback, that it, students' engagement with feedback. Research on this topic has received increasing scholarly attention. Compared to research on engagement with written feedback, less is known regarding how students engage with oral feedback. Given the real-time interactions between feedback givers and receivers enabled by oral feedback, coupled with multi-modality of visual and aural information exchanges, students' engagement with oral feedback is very likely to differ from that with written feedback. An investigation into this area can enhance the current understanding of engagement as a complex construct. Accordingly, this study systematically reviewed 40 empirical studies from a methodological perspective, since one possible reason for the limited attention to engagement with oral feedback is the difficulty of capturing and analyzing the highly transient oral delivery. The review found that most research did not provide clear or focused conceptualizations or theoretical frameworks of engagement. In addition, the most frequently adopted research design was the convergent design, the most frequent methods were surveys and observation, with the most common instruments being video/audio recordings and questionnaires. In response, it is suggested that, theoretically, more consensus should be reached concerning the terminology, theoretical frameworks, and conceptualizations. In terms of research foci, more efforts are needed to comprehensively explore the three dimensions of engagement (i.e., behavioral, cognitive, and affective), potential indicators, innovative methods, and engagement with alternative feedback types. Finally, the influencing factors in the engagement process (e.g., teaching contexts, feedback foci, learners’ motivation) merit special attention, since they are indispensable for a thorough comprehension of engagement with feedback.