Did CALL feedback feed back? Researching learners’ use of feedback

Abstract

This paper reports on one specific aspect of a study which investigated the learners’ use of the help facilities available within a program called ImPRESSions. Among those facilities, feedback was central to the design of the program and an important aspect of the research study. Little is known about how learners interact with feedback in CALL. This paper explains the design and implementation of the feedback features of the program, and tries to portray insights into how learners used these in four different sessions using ImPRESSions. Learners’ screen movements, observation and retrospection questions about the use of help facilities were recorded for later description and analysis. The results about the use of the feedback facility are presented and discussed from a qualitative perspective.