Changes of Korean EFL Learner's Attitudes toward Explicit Error Correction

Many studies have found that explicit error correction is more effective than other correction strategies with respect to its corrective purpose but it can make learners more anxious. This study aimed to examine whether student attitudes toward explicit correction could change positively after several weeks of instruction or not. Sixty-one EFL learners from 4 university-level conversation classes where the teacher corrected explicitly but not in a harsh manner completed the Questionnaire measuring Attitude Toward Error Correction (QATEC) at the third week and at the eleventh week of the IS-week semester. The data indicated that the learners had very positive attitudes toward explicit correction in general and that the attitude scores at the post-measure were significantly higher than those at pre-measure. Interviews with six students provided the reasons for this positive change: the teacher's gentle, considerate way of correction; fear of not being aware of their errors; fear of fossilization. Some pedagogical implications came from these results.