Sociocultural approaches form a theoretical tradition that explains learning, identity development, and knowledge creation not merely as cognitive or as purely internal psychic processes. Rather it understands these educational phenomena relationally as practices that belong simultaneously to the development of the individual as well as to the society and its cultural ways of life. Commencing from these ideas, this chapter argues that undergraduate research and inquiry-based learning can be investigated as ways of ensuring student participation in and engagement with practices of doing research. A sociocultural view on these practices raises awareness of the broader context in which education develops, and how such development is influenced by all kinds of cultural and material relations. Higher education is not only understood within the boundaries of the university or the college. It can also be studied as culturally shaped by professional practices and ethics, or by epistemic cultures that form different manners of knowing. The focus on practices is important because it is a key to the reconstruction of ‘how we know what we know’ as a resource for student learning.

We provide an overview of research that explains what oral corrective feedback is, how it can be expressed by teachers and peers, and how it may impact the language development process. We define oral corrective feedback as a negative evidence provided in response to learner error in an oral mode. A theoretical rationale for the role of feedback is described, drawing on research from both cognitive-interactionist and sociocultural explanations of second language learning through oral communication. Examples from numerous studies are incorporated to exemplify the range of ways feedback is provided on different types of linguistic errors. Research on the relative effectiveness of different types of feedback is reviewed, as well as empirical inquiry into the role of individual and social factors that can enhance or limit the effectiveness or oral feedback, concluding that oral corrective feedback is an important factor for language learning in instructed settings. We close with recommendations for research-driven teaching practice with respect to oral corrective feedback, cautioning that teachers need to consider learner experiences and expectations of feedback, their pedagogical objectives and approach, as well as learners developmental needs, self-monitoring skills, and ability to provide feedback to one another.