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THE EFFECTS OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK ON INSTRUCTED L2 SPEECH PERCEPTION

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Andrew H. Lee*
Affiliation:
McGill University
Roy Lyster
Affiliation:
McGill University
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrew H. Lee, Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC H3A 1Y2, Canada. E-mail: andrew.lee@mcgill.ca

Abstract

To what extent do second language (L2) learners benefit from instruction that includes corrective feedback (CF) on L2 speech perception? This article addresses this question by reporting the results of a classroom-based experimental study conducted with 32 young adult Korean learners of English. An instruction-only group and an instruction + CF group were exposed to five 1-hr form-focused lessons that drew learners’ attention to the nonnative phonemic contrast /i/-/ɪ/, but only the instruction + CF group was given relevant feedback. Forced-choice identification tasks were completed by participants in a pretest, an immediate posttest, and a delayed posttest. The two groups showed similar accuracy on the pretest; however, the instruction + CF group outperformed the instruction-only group on the immediate and delayed posttests as well as on unfamiliar words. The significant predictors for these differences turned out to be perceptual accuracy vis-à-vis /ɪ/-natural and /ɪ/-synthesized sounds. These findings are discussed in terms of the pivotal role played by CF in developing accuracy in L2 speech perception.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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