Résumé:
This paper aims at reporting the results of a semester-long investigation undertaken at the
Department of English of Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University of Mostaganem: (fall 2012- winter 2013).
The research involved a population of about a hundred EFL students and ten ‘Oral Expression’
teachers. Data were gathered through questionnaires addressed to students and teachers, through semistructured
and unstructured interviews as well as through the weekly observation of two teachers and
their students during ‘Oral Expression’ classes. The focus in this article will be on the value of feedback
as being a formative assessment technique initiated by the teacher, self –practiced by the learners or
provided by peers. The results of the investigation have shown that some learners who have been
introduced to the practices above cited are able to focus on areas of improvement. On the other hand,
the research revealed that a number of students at the Department of English of Mostaganem University
still hold the teacher as sole responsible for their assessment (and learning by extension) and are
especially not aware of the formative practice of self and peer initiated feedback.
