Cover not available

Article published In: Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 9:1 (2023) ► pp.47–70

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

The characteristics and effects of peer feedback on second language pronunciation

ORCiD logo with link | McGill UniversityMontreal
 | Brock UniversitySt. Catharines
 | McGill UniversityMontreal
Published online: 25 August 2023
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.22034.hua
Abstract
In order to investigate the characteristics and effects of peer feedback targeting second language (L2) pronunciation, the present study recruited 32 Mandarin-speaking learners of English who received five pronunciation instructional sessions through an instant messaging application on their smart phones. The phonological targets, types, and formats of peer feedback as well as its effects on their pronunciation (i.e., comprehensibility and accentedness) were examined. Results revealed that the participants mainly targeted segmental errors rather than suprasegmental errors and that they tended to provide more feedback on vowels rather than on consonants. Their feedback, delivered mainly in writing, was found to be effective in improving learners’ comprehensibility, but not their accentedness. The findings demonstrate the potential of peer feedback complementary to teacher feedback in instructed L2 pronunciation and highlight the importance of training in optimizing the effectiveness of peer feedback.
Article outline
  • 1.Background
    • 1.1The goal of instructed L2 pronunciation and teacher corrective feedback
    • 1.2Peer feedback in instructed L2 acquisition
  • 2.Methodology
    • 2.1Participants
    • 2.2Procedure
      • 2.2.1Peer feedback and teacher feedback conditions
        • Read-aloud phase
        • Feedback intervention phase
        • Post-feedback reading phase
      • 2.2.2Control condition
      • 2.2.3Testing sessions
    • 2.3Data analysis
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Phonological targets, types, and formats of peer feedback (research question 1)
    • 3.2Effects of peer feedback on L2 speech comprehensibility and accentedness (research question 2)
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Characteristics of peer feedback on L2 pronunciation
    • 4.2Effects of peer feedback on L2 speech comprehensibility and accentedness
  • 5.Conclusion
  • References
References (60)
References
Akiyama, Y. (2017). Learner beliefs and corrective feedback in telecollaboration: A longitudinal investigation. System, 641, 58–73. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Al-Busaidi, S., & Al-Saqqaf, A. H. (2015). English spelling errors made by Arabic-speaking students. English Language Teaching, 8(7), 181–199. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Berggren, J. (2015). Learning from giving feedback: A study of secondary-level students. ELT Journal, 69(1), 58–70. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Coté, R. A. (2014). Peer feedback in anonymous peer review in an EFL writing class in Spain. GiST Education and Learning Research Journal, 91, 67–87. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (1997). Accent, intelligibility, and comprehensibility: Evidence from four L1s. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 19(1), 1–16. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2005). Second language accent and pronunciation teaching: A research-based approach. TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), 379–397. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2009). Comprehensibility as a factor in listener interaction preferences: Implications for the workplace. Canadian Modern Language Review, 66(2), 181–202. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2013). The development of L2 oral language skills in two L1 groups: A 7-year study. Language Learning, 63(2), 163–185. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Doughty, C. J., & Long, M. H. (2003). Optimal psycholinguistic environments for distance foreign language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 7(3), 50–80. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dunlap, J. C., & Grabinger, S. (2003). Preparing students for lifelong learning: A review of instructional features and teaching methodologies. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 16(2), 6–25. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Evers, K., & Chen, S. (2020). Effects of an automatic speech recognition system with peer feedback on pronunciation instruction for adults. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 1–21. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Foster, P., & Ohta, A. S. (2005). Negotiation for meaning and peer assistance in second language classrooms. Applied Linguistics, 26(3), 402–430. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fujii, A., Ziegler, N., & Mackey, A. (2016). Peer interaction and metacognitive instruction in the EFL classroom. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger. (Eds.), Peer interaction and second language learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 63–89). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kim, D., Rueckert, D., Kim, D. -J., & Seo, D. (2013). Students’ perceptions and experiences of mobile learning. Language Learning & Technology, 17(3), 52–73. [URL]
Kukulska-Hulme, A. (2020). Mobile-assisted language learning. In C. A. Chapelle. (Ed.), The concise encyclopedia of applied linguistics (pp. 743–750). Wiley. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Larson-Hall, J. (2016). A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS and R (2nd ed.). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, A. H., & Lyster, R. (2016a). The effects of corrective feedback on instructed L2 speech perception. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 38(1), 35–64. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2016b). Effects of different types of corrective feedback on receptive skills in a second language: A speech perception training study. Language Learning, 66(4), 809–833. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lee, J., Jang, J., & Plonsky, L. (2015). The effectiveness of second language pronunciation instruction: A meta-analysis. Applied Linguistics, 36(3), 345–366. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lin, G. Y. (2018). Anonymous versus identified peer assessment via a Facebook-based learning application: Effects on quality of peer feedback, perceived learning, perceived fairness, and attitude toward the system. Computers & Education, 1161, 81–92. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Lu, R., & Bol, L. (2007). A comparison of anonymous versus identifiable e-peer review on college student writing performance and the extent of critical feedback. Journal of Interactive Online Learning, 6(2), 100–115. [URL]
Lundstrom, K., & Baker, W. (2009). To give is better than to receive: The benefits of peer review to the reviewer’s own writing. Journal of Second Language Writing, 18(1), 30–43. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Luo, B. (2016). Evaluating a computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) technique for efficient classroom instruction. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 29(3). 451–476. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
MacMahon, M. K. C. (1991). The woman behind ‘Arthur’. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 21(1), 29–31. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2021b). Providing vs. receiving peer feedback: Learners’ beliefs and experiences. Language Teaching Research. Advance online publication. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Munro, M. J., & Derwing, T. M. (1995). Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners. Language Learning, 45(1), 73–97. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ohta, A. S. (2001). Second language acquisition processes in the classroom: Learning Japanese. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Piske, T., MacKay, I. R. A., & Flege, J. E. (2001). Factors affecting degree of foreign accent in an L2: A review. Journal of Phonetics, 29(2), 191–215. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Plonsky, L., & Oswald, F. L. (2014). How big is “big”? Interpreting effect sizes in L2 research. Language Learning, 64(4), 878–912. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
R Core Team (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. [URL]
Ranta, L., & Lyster, R. (2018). Form-focused instruction. In P. Garrett & J. Cots. (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of language awareness (pp. 40–56). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Roach, P. (2004). British English: Received pronunciation. Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 34(2), 239–245. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rouhi, A., & Azizian, E. (2013). Peer review: Is giving corrective feedback better than receiving it in L2 writing? Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 931, 1349–1354. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saito, K. (2011). Examining the role of explicit phonetic instruction in native-like and comprehensible pronunciation development: An instructed SLA approach to L2 phonology. Language Awareness, 20(1), 45–59. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2013). The acquisitional value of recasts in instructed second language speech learning: Teaching the perception and production of English /ɹ/ to adult Japanese learners. Language Learning, 63(3), 499–529. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2021a). Effects of corrective feedback on second language pronunciation development. In H. Nassaji & E. Kartchava. (Eds.), The Cambridge handbook of corrective feedback in second language learning and teaching (pp. 407–428). Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2021b). What characterizes comprehensible and native-like pronunciation among English-as-a-second-language speakers? Meta-analyses of phonological, rater, and instructional factors. TESOL Quarterly, 55(3), 866–900. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saito, K., & Lyster, R. (2012). Effects of form-focused instruction and corrective feedback on L2 pronunciation development of /ɹ/ by Japanese learners of English. Language Learning, 62(2), 595–633. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saito, K., & Wu, X. (2014). Communicative focus on form and second language suprasegmental learning: Teaching Cantonese learners to perceive Mandarin tones. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 36(4), 647–680. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saito, K., Sun, H., & Tierney, A. (2019). Explicit and implicit aptitude effects on second language speech learning: Scrutinizing segmental and suprasegmental sensitivity and performance via behavioural and neurophysiological measures. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 22(5), 1123–1140. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sato, M. (2013). Beliefs about peer interaction and peer corrective feedback: Efficacy of classroom intervention. The Modern Language Journal, 97(3), 611–633. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2017). Oral peer corrective feedback: Multiple theoretical perspectives. In H. Nassaji & E. Kartchava. (Eds.), Corrective feedback in second language teaching and learning: Research, theory, applications, implications (pp. 19–34). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sato, M., & Lyster, R. (2012). Peer interaction and corrective feedback for accuracy and fluency development: Monitoring, practice, and proceduralization. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 34(4), 591–626. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sharbawi, S. (2012). Revisiting the vowels of Brunei English. World Englishes, 31(2), 177–197. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sippel, L. (2019). The impact of peer corrective feedback on vocabulary development. Foreign Language Annals, 52(3), 595–611. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sippel, L., & Jackson, C. N. (2015). Teacher vs. peer oral corrective feedback in the German language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 48(4), 688–705. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sippel, L., & Martin, I. A. (2022). Immediate and long-term improvement in lexical stress perception: The role of teacher and peer feedback. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching. Advance online publication. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Thomson, R. I., & Derwing, T. M. (2015). The effectiveness of L2 pronunciation instruction: A narrative review. Applied Linguistics, 36(3), 326–344. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Toth, P. D. (2008). Teacher- and learner-led discourse in task-based grammar instruction: Providing procedural assistance for L2 morphosyntactic development. Language Learning, 58(2), 237–283. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Trofimovich, P., & Baker, W. (2006). Learning second language suprasegmentals: Effect of L2 experience on prosody and fluency characteristics of L2 speech. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 28(1), 1–30. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Villamil, O. S., & De Guerrero, M. C. M. (1996). Peer revision in the L2 classroom: Social-cognitive activities, mediating strategies, and aspects of social behavior. Journal of Second Language Writing, 5(1), 51–75. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Wu, Y. (2019). Review of Chinese English learners’ prosodic acquisition. English Language Teaching, 12(8), 89–94. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yang, M., Badger, R., & Yu, Z. (2006). A comparative study of peer and teacher feedback in a Chinese EFL writing class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 15(3), 179–200. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Yu, S., & Hu, G. (2017). Understanding university students’ peer feedback practices in EFL writing: Insights from a case study. Assessing Writing, 331, 25–35. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhang, R., & Yuan, Z. M. (2020). Examining the effects of explicit pronunciation instruction on the development of L2 pronunciation. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 42(4), 905–918. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zhu, Q., & Carless, D. (2018). Dialogue within peer feedback processes: Clarification and negotiation of meaning. Higher Education Research & Development, 37(4), 883–897. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cited by (2)

Cited by two other publications

Naga Ramesh, Janjhyam Venkata, Malik Bader Alazzam, Haider Sharif Mahdi, Sazan Kamal Sulaiman, Salah Farhan A Sharif & I Infant Raj
2025. 2025 3rd International Conference on Intelligent Systems, Advanced Computing and Communication (ISACC), ► pp. 672 ff. DOI logo
Levis, John M.
2024. Key issues in L2 pronunciation research. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 10:3 ► pp. 293 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 13 november 2025. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.

Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue