This study investigates Saudi female EFL learners’ preferences for five types of teachers’ oral corrective feedback (OCF): explicit correction, recast, clarification request, elicitation, and repetition, exploring the relationship between these preferences and cognitive styles (field-independent and field-dependent). The study involved 164 Level 5 and 6 college students, using questionnaires and cognitive style tests to analyze preferences. Results show a strong preference for recast and explicit correction among learners, with recast especially favored as it is perceived as polite and non-embarrassing. Field-independent learners tended to prefer recast and explicit correction more than field-dependent learners, indicating a modest association between cognitive styles and feedback preferences.
Repetition was also moderately preferred, particularly by field-independent learners who valued it for clarity. Conversely, clarification requests and elicitation were less favored, with learners finding them potentially embarrassing or challenging in public classroom settings. The study concludes by recommending that EFL teachers consider cognitive styles and emotional factors in feedback approaches, tailoring feedback to create a supportive learning environment. The researchers suggest further investigation into other corrective feedback types and testing with male learners to build on these findings.