Preferred Oral Corrective Feedback Strategies: Insights from Pre-Service Teachers in a Philippine State University

This study investigated the preferred oral corrective feedback (OCF) strategies of Filipino ESL preservice teachers at a Philippine State University. Grounded in Krashen's Input Hypothesis, it aimed to identify learners' preferences to improve language instruction. A mixed-methods approach was employed, involving 192 preservice teachers from six academic majors—Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies, Technology and Livelihood Education, and Elementary Education—enrolled in a Purposive Communication course. Data was gathered through surveys and interviews using a 6-point Likert scale, where 1 indicated strongly disagreement and 6 strongly agree. Quantitative analysis involved ANOVA to compare preferences across majors and T-tests to assess gender-based differences. Thematic analysis was applied to qualitative responses. The study identified the most preferred OCF strategy during oral examinations and examined whether preferences differed by academic major or gender. Results showed that private feedback was most preferred, with no statistically significant differences across majors or genders. These findings highlight the value of individualized feedback and may help educators and policymakers develop more learner-centered language teaching approaches. Previous research also emphasizes the influence of learners’ proficiency levels on feedback preferences, reinforcing the need to tailor corrective strategies to individual needs for more effective instruction.