Feedback as a didactic tool to foster autonomy in second language acquisition

Abstract

This article aims to explore the potential of feedback as an educational tool to promote autonomy in university learners of Spanish as a foreign language. In the Sociocultural Theory framework, feedback is meant as a collaborative activity that promotes linguistic awareness through verbal interaction. In doing so the learner becomes increasingly self-regulated, that is, autonomous. In such a learning context, the type of feedback offered is what marks the degree of potential development of autonomy. Based on a study in which the impact of three different types of feedback on the evolution of Spanish as a foreign language in C1 level learners was analysed, this article delves into its role in stimulating the process of learner autonomy.