Abstract
This MA study presents an analysis of video recorded English instruction lessons taught by seven teachers in seven classrooms at different lower secondary schools (9th grade). The video recordings were analyzed to identify what characterizes vague feedback in English L2 classrooms. The data were collected as part of the Linking Instruction and Student Experiences (LISE) project, led by Professor Kirsti Klette and with Associate Professor Lisbeth M. Brevik as coordinator. The data were analyzed to identify different types of feedback in vague feedback as well as the situations the feedback occurs in. Observing and analyzing 30 hours of English lessons, in seven different classrooms, has proved to be challenging. Still, this is something I regard as very important, as I was able to contribute with an overview of the characteristics within the phenomenon vague feedback. I found that the feedback type students are mainly provided with, when the feedback is vague, is feedback about the task. The students were also provided with feedback about the processing of the task and feedback about the self as a person, but these types were provided considerably less than feedback about the task in total. Feedback about the self as a person is the least provided feedback type. The observed English instruction lessons are dominated by classroom discussions, as situations used for providing feedback, in addition to group work situations and individual work. Furthermore, the results showed that feedback about the task dominates classroom discussions and feedback about the processing about the task dominates group work situations, while feedback about the self as a person dominates individual work situations. Based on these findings, I argue that further investigation of vague feedback in English L2 classrooms may be warranted in order to provide an even deeper understanding of what vague feedback consists of and why the occurrence of it is so high.