Vuxna nybörjarstuderandes uppfattningar om skriftlig lärarrespons på skrivande i svenska som andraspråk

This study investigates how L2 beginner level students perceive written feedback from teachers on samples of their writing.  It centers on beginner learners (of which very little research exists) and covers two broad areas of feedback: Focus and Manner. Focus refers to the kind of areas the teachers concentrate on in their comments, e.g. content, while Manner refers to different ways of delivering feedback, e.g. suggestions. The data was collected from a web-based course in Swedish for immigrants in an online Learning Management System. A questionnaire was used where the students evaluated feedback categories on a Likert scale and thereafter, ranked the same categories.  Ranking, where different feedback categories are related to each other, has not been found in previous studies on feedback in the field of second language research. The results show that the students take feedback seriously. A large majority of students chose feedback on grammar as their first priority. They generally valued all feedback manners, but clearly preferred specific praise and specific criticism.  I then discuss the conclusions and pedagogical implications based on web-based learning contexts. In particular, I emphasize the importance of establishing a dialogue between students and teachers which enables an orientation towards new understanding.