The role of recasts and negotiated prompts in an FL learning context in China with non-English major university students

This quasi-experimental classroom study examines the effects of recasts and negotiated prompts on oral interactions in a foreign language (FL) context where the instructional approach primarily focuses on grammar and accuracy. Ninety adult native speakers of Mandarin Chinese from two intact classes were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups (recast or negotiated prompt) or a control group, and were asked to complete pre-/post-tests on their use of question and past tense forms in English. Between the pre-test and the post-tests, the learners of the two experimental groups had three treatment lessons for feedback outside their usual English classes, the interaction data of which are reported. ANOVA analyses revealed that recasts were highly effective for accuracy development of wh-questions, interrogative questions and irregular past tense verbs. Negotiated prompts showed moderate effectiveness at most times for accuracy development of interrogative questions and both irregular and regular past tense verbs. These findings provide further insights into the role of corrective feedback (CF) in L2 development.