Growth-oriented versus fixed-oriented feedback : exploring Chinese primary school English teachers' mindsets and their impacts on feedback-giving practices

Abstract

Language mindsets have emerged as a prominent area of inquiry within the realm of second language (L2) education. Nonetheless, extant research primarily focuses on the examination of language mindsets among students, leaving a notable gap in understanding the mindsets held by language teachers. To address this gap, the present study investigated the mindsets of Chinese primary school English teachers, as well as the impact of mindsets on their provision of feedback on students' academic performance. This qualitative research was conducted at two public primary schools in central China with a sample of 13 teachers. Tape recordings, semi-structured interviews, and self-reported questionnaires were employed as the primary instruments for data collection. The findings revealed that teachers exhibited growth, fixed, and mixed mindsets toward students' English competence, which led to both shared and distinct characteristics in their feedback-giving practices when evaluating students at varying levels of academic performance. The findings of this study provide insights into the multifaceted nature of language mindsets among Chinese English teachers, underscore the significance of understanding these mindsets in relation to feedback-giving practices, and offer a new lens to analyze teacher feedback in the domain of L2 education.