ABSTRACT
Corrective feedback during meaning-focused second language (L2) interaction has proven to be an effective mechanism for increasing both noticing of linguistic structures and L2 development. This chapter presents how non-verbal features, such as gestures, play an integral role in classroom interaction, including corrective feedback. It discusses the benefits of corrective feedback in general and introduces some characteristics of corrective feedback that may impact its effectiveness. The chapter reviews some descriptive and interventionist gestural studies in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) to present how gestures have been used by teachers and students in the language classroom, as well as to show whether or not such gestures have any impact on various domains of L2 learning. It also reviews some gestural studies which were conducted in relation to corrective feedback. Related to corrective feedback, language educators may also benefit from observing learners' gestures during and following feedback.
