A cross-cultural study of using the Sandwich feedback by Vietnamese and American teachers and its effects on students’ uptake

A cross-cultural study of using the Sandwich
feedback by Vietnamese and American
teachers and its effects on students’ uptake
Nghiên cứu giao văn hoá về việc sử dụng
“sandwich feedback” của giáo viên người Mỹ
và người Việt trong việc đưa ra lời phê bình
và tác động của nó đối với sự
tiếp thu của sinh viên

Lại Hoài Châu

University of Languages and International Studies
M.A. Thesis. English Linguistics; Mã số: 60 22 15
Supervisor : Dr. Ngô Hữu Hoàng
Năm bảo vệ: 2012

Abstract. Giving feedback is an indispensable part in teaching in general and in
teaching foreign language in particular. Feedback benefits both teachers in orienting
students to the right track and students in improving their study. However, basing on
the mood, the culture and specific circumstance, feedback would turn to be sensitive,
the atmosphere in class, therefore, could be altered under those comments. This
research invests time and space to study about the culture of giving sandwich feedback
in classroom of teachers from America and Vietnam. The author presupposed that
sandwich feedback is quite new in Vietnam and with Vietnamese traditional
preferences of talking, teachers would prefer to give a long, hedging comment.
However, the result of the research was surprised her when in fact, American teachers
use hedging a lot in their comments and the flexibility in applying sandwich feedback,
to some extents, affects positively to the learners. The research suggests some useful
pedagogical implications and opens some new direction for further consideration.
Keywords. Giao văn hóa; Tiếng Anh; Giáo viên
Content.

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1. Rationale
1
1.2. Previous studies
3
1.3. Aims of study
4
1.4. Research questions
5
1.5. Significance of study
5
1.6. Scope of the study
5
1.7. Organization of the study
6
CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
8
2.1. Definition of feedback
8
2.2. Definition of criticism
9
2.3. Definition of sandwich feedback communication (SFC)
11
2.4. Pragmatics and significance of SFC in communication
13
2.4.1. What is pragmatics?
13
2.4.2. What is Politeness?
16
2.4.3. Politeness strategies (PSs)

16
2.4.4. Relation of sandwich feedback and politeness
20
2.5. Vietnamese and American cross-cultural SFC
21
CHAPTER 3: DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
24
3.1. Overview of the research methodology
24
3.2. Design of study
25
3.2.1. Selection of informant
25
3.2.2. Data collection instrument
27
3.2.3. Data processing procedure
28
3.3. Data analysis
29
3.3.1. The patterns of SFC (Structures of SFC that teachers often use)
29
3.3.2. SFC as a politeness strategy
34
3.4. Discussion
41
CHAPTER 4: PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS AND CONCLUSION
43
4.1. Pedagogical implication
43
4.2. Limitation of study and the suggestion for further researches

44
4.3. Conclusion
REFERENCE
QUESTIONNAIRE
45
46

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