Correction of Speaking Mistakes when Learning a Foreign Language - Analysis of the Most Common Mistakes and their Correction in Learning the German Language

Abstract

Verbal mistake corrections occur frequently during the process of learning a foreign language and are usually initiated by the teacher. Foreign language teachers have a significant impact on the behavior of verbal correction, thus influencing the organization of in-class discussions and the acquisition of a foreign language. Making mistakes during foreign language learning is no longer seen as a deficiency of language skills. On the contrary, making mistakes is a completely normal part of the process during foreign language acquisition. Fundamentally, mistake correction should be seen as a good opportunity for the students. They show the current acquiring status of the student; teachers understand where it is necessary to replicate knowledge and profoundly acquire it. The main topic of this article is correcting mistakes when speaking in a foreign language. The article addresses issues closely related to the main topic such as: What mistakes do teachers usually correct and how? When do teachers correct mistakes? In what situation do they immediately intervene / not intervene? What do teachers do after the correction? Who corrects during the lesson? How do teachers encourage self-correction? In addition to the theoretical contributions in this field, we have tried to answer these questions through surveys and questionnaires by evaluating the answers we have received from 90 German language teachers. The analyses of the questionnaire as well as the conclusions are presented at the end of this article.

Received: 14 December 2021 / Accepted: 7 February 2022 / Published: 5 March 2022