Cover not available
Article published In:
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 7:1 (2021) ► pp.62–88

Is giving better than receiving?

The effects of peer and teacher feedback on L2 pronunciation skills

ORCID logo | U.S. Naval Academy
| Yale University
This study investigated the effects of teacher and peer corrective feedback on pronunciation development, with a special focus on whether providing or receiving peer feedback on pronunciation is more beneficial for L2 production skills. Participants included 96 L2 learners of German. They were assigned to one of three experimental groups or a control group. After general pronunciation training on a segmental and a suprasegmental feature, the teacher group received feedback from a teacher, the provider group gave feedback to peers, and the receiver group listened to feedback from peers. The control group received neither pronunciation training nor feedback. Results from native speaker comprehensibility ratings of learners’ productions indicated that while all groups outperformed the control group, both the teacher and the provider group improved more than the receiver group. In addition, the provider group had a slight edge over the teacher group. Theoretical and pedagogical implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords: pronunciation instruction, L2 speech production, peer corrective feedback, teacher feedback, peer review
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Background
    • 2.1Pronunciation in L2 classrooms
    • 2.2Peer corrective feedback and metacognitive instruction
  • 3.The present study
  • 4.Methods
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2Pronunciation targets
    • 4.3Instructional materials and procedure
    • 4.4Pre- and post-assessment
    • 4.5Scoring
    • 4.6Data analysis
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Segmental condition: <z>
      • 5.1.1Words
      • 5.1.2Sentences
    • 5.2Suprasegmental condition: Cognates
      • 5.2.1Words
      • 5.2.2Sentences
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Note
  • References
Published online: 8 January 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.20001.mar
References (62)
References
Bergeron, A., & Trofimovich, P. (2017). Linguistic dimensions of accentedness and comprehensibility: Exploring task and listener effects in second language French. Foreign Language Annals, 501, 547–566. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Boersma, P., & Weenink, D. (2019). Praat: doing phonetics by computer [Computer program]. Version 6.1.05. Accessed 22 July 2018 from [URL]
Brown, D. (2016). The type and linguistic foci of oral corrective feedback in the L2 classroom: A meta-analysis. Language Teaching Research, 201, 436–458. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Carrell, P. L. (1989). Metacognitive awareness and second language reading. The Modern Language Journal, 731, 121–134. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., Goodwin, J. M., & Griner, B. (2010). Teaching pronunciation: A course book and reference guide. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Chu, R.-X. (2013). Effects of peer feedback on Taiwanese adolescents’ English speaking practices and development (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Couper, G. (2003). The value of an explicit pronunciation syllabus in ESOL teaching. Prospect, 181, 53–70.Google Scholar
Darcy, I. (2018). Powerful and effective pronunciation instruction: How can we achieve it? The CATESOL Journal, 301, 13–45.Google Scholar
Derwing, T. M. (2013). Pronunciation instruction. In C. A. Chapelle (Ed.), The Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics (pp. 1–9). Chichester, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
(2019). Utopian goals for pronunciation research revisited. In J. Levis, C. Nagle, & E. Todey (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching conference (pp. 27–35). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.Google Scholar
Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research. Philadelphia/Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., & Wiebe, G. (1998). Evidence in favor of a broad framework for pronunciation instruction. Language Learning, 481, 393–410. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive-developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 341, 906–911. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Foote, J. A., Trofimovich, P., Collins, L. & Soler Urzúa, F. (2016). Pronunciation teaching practices in communicative second language classes. The Language Learning Journal, 441, 181–196. DOI logoGoogle 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. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Goh, C. (2008). Metacognitive instruction for second language listening development: Theory, practice and research implications. RELC Journal, 391, 188–213. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gordon, J., & Darcy, I. (2016). The development of comprehensible speech in L2 learners: A classroom study on the effects of short-term pronunciation instruction. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 21, 56–92. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hall, C. (2003). Modern German pronunciation: An introduction for speakers of English. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press.Google Scholar
Hirata, Y. (2004). Computer assisted pronunciation training for native English speakers learning Japanese pitch and durational contrasts. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 171, 357–376. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Huensch, A. (2019a). Pronunciation in foreign language classrooms: Instructors’ training, classroom practices, and beliefs. Language Teaching Research, 231, 745–764. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2019b). The pronunciation teaching practices of university-level graduate teaching assistants of French and Spanish introductory language courses. Foreign Language Annals, 521, 13–31. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Huensch, A., & Thompson, A. S. (2017). Contextualizing attitudes toward pronunciation: Foreign Language Learners in the United States. Foreign Language Annals, 501, 410–432. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Larson-Hall, J. (2016). A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS and R. (2nd ed.). New York/London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Lee, J., Jang, J., & Plonsky, L. (2015). The effectiveness of second language pronunciation instruction: A meta-analysis. Applied Linguistics, 361, 345–366. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lenhard, W. & Lenhard, A. (2016). Calculation of Effect Sizes. Retrieved from: [URL]
Lev-Ari, S., & Keysar, B. (2012). Less-detailed representation of non-native language: Why non-native speakers’ stories seem more vague. Discourse Processes, 491, 523–538. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Levelt, W. J. M. (1983). Monitoring and self-repair in speech. Cognition, 141, 41–104. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Levis, J. M. (2005). Changing contexts and shifting paradigms in pronunciation teaching. TESOL Quarterly, 391, 369–377. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Liu, Q. (2011). Factors influencing pronunciation accuracy: L1 negative transfer, task variables and individual aptitude. English Language Teaching, 41, 115–120. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Loewen, S. & Isbell, D. R. (2017). Pronunciation in face-to-face and audio-only synchronous computer-mediated learner interactions. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 391, 225–256. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
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, 181, 30–43. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Luo, B. (2016). Evaluating a computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT) technique for efficient classroom instruction. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 291, 451–476. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lyster, R., & Saito, K. (2010). Oral feedback in classroom SLA: A meta-analysis. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 321, 265–302. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Martin, I. A. (2017). Teaching pronunciation through homework assignments: The method of iCPRs. In M. O’Brien & J. Levis (Eds.), Proceedings of the 8th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, (pp. 216–223). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.Google Scholar
(2018). Bridging the gap between L2 pronunciation research and teaching: Using iCPRs to improve novice German learners’ pronunciation in distance and face-to-face classrooms. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). College of the Liberal Arts, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.Google Scholar
(2020a). Pronunciation can be acquired outside the classroom: Design and assessment of homework-based training. The Modern Language Journal, 1041, 457–479. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2020b). Pronunciation development and instruction in distance language learning. Language Learning & Technology, 241, 86–106.Google Scholar
Martinez, M. E. (2006). What is metacognition? Phi Delta Kappan, 871, 696–699. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Miao, Y., Badger, R., & Zhen, Y. (2006). A comparative study of peer and teacher feedback in a Chinese EFL writing class. Journal of Second Language Writing, 151, 179–200. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Moranski, K., & Ziegler, N. (2019, March). Multi-site studies in SLA research: Challenges, risks, and rewards. Paper presented at the conference of the American Association for Applied Linguistics, Atlanta, GA.
Munro, M. J., & Derwing, T. M. (1995). Foreign accent, comprehensibility, and intelligibility in the speech of second language learners. Language Learning, 451, 73–97. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Brien, M. G. (2019). Investigating stress assignment. In J. Levis, C. Nagle, & E. Todey (Eds.), Proceedings of the 10th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference (pp. 70–81). Ames, IA: Iowa State University.Google Scholar
Peirce, J. W. (2019). PsychoPy. Psychology software in Python [Computer program]. Version 3.1.2. Accessed 12 May 2019 at [URL]
Philip, J., Adams, R., & Iwashita, N. (2014). Peer interaction and second language learning. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Plonsky, L., & Oswald, F. L. (2014). How big is “big”? Interpreting effect sizes in L2 research. Language Learning, 641, 878–912. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saeli, H. (2019). Correction timing: Does it affect teacher oral feedback? Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 51, 49–71. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K. (2012). Effects of instruction on L2 pronunciation development: a synthesis of 15 quasi-experimental intervention studies. TESOL Quarterly, 461, 842–854. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2015). Communicative focus on second language phonetic form: Teaching Japanese learners to perceive and produce English /ɹ/ without explicit instruction. Applied Psycholinguistics, 361, 377–409. DOI logoGoogle 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, 621, 595–633. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., & Plonsky, L. (2019). Effects of second language pronunciation teaching revisited: A proposed measurement framework and meta-analysis. Language Learning, 691, 652–708. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Saito, K., Suzukida, Y., & Sun, H. (2019). Aptitude, experience, and second language pronunciation proficiency development in classroom settings: A longitudinal study. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 411, 201–225. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sato, M. (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). New York: Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2020). Metacognitive instruction for collaborative interaction: The process and product of self-regulated learning in the Chilean EFL context. In C. Lambert & R. Oliver (Eds.), Using tasks in second language teaching: Practice in diverse contexts (pp. 215–236). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Sato, M., & Ballinger, S. (2016). Understanding peer interaction: Research synthesis and directions. In M. Sato & S. Ballinger (Eds.), Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning: Pedagogical potential and research agenda (pp. 1–30). Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sato, M., & Loewen, S. (2018). Metacognitive instruction enhances the effectiveness of corrective feedback: Variable effects of feedback types and linguistic targets. Language Learning, 681, 507–545. DOI logoGoogle 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, 341, 591–626. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sheen, Y. (2010). Introduction: The role of oral and written corrective feedback in SLA. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 321, 169–179. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sippel, L. (2019). The impact of peer corrective feedback on vocabulary development. Foreign Language Annals, 521, 595–611. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sippel, L., & Jackson, C. N. (2015). Teacher vs. peer oral corrective feedback in the German language classroom. Foreign Language Annals, 481, 688–705. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Thomson, R. I., & Derwing, T. M. (2015). The effectiveness of L2 pronunciation instruction: A narrative review. Applied Linguistics, 361, 326–244. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Toth, P. D. (2008). Teacher- and learner-led discourse in task-based grammar instruction: Providing procedural assistance for L2 morphosyntactic development. Language Learning, 581, 237–283. DOI logoGoogle 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, 1–14. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by (21)

Cited by 21 other publications

Kartal, Galip
2024. Evaluating a mobile instant messaging tool for efficient large-class speaking instruction. Computer Assisted Language Learning 37:5-6 ► pp. 1252 ff. DOI logo
Gordon, Joshua
2023. Corrective feedback and second language pronunciation instruction: A case study of a nonnative-speaking teacher. Language Teaching 56:4 ► pp. 574 ff. DOI logo
Huang, Yuhui, Andrew H. Lee & Susan Ballinger
2023. The characteristics and effects of peer feedback on second language pronunciation. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 9:1 ► pp. 47 ff. DOI logo
Martin, Ines & Carolin Jolitz
2023. Teaching perspectives. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 9:3 ► pp. 390 ff. DOI logo
Nagle, Charlie & Phil Hiver
2023. Optimizing second language pronunciation instruction: Replications of Martin and Sippel (2021), Olson and Offerman (2021), and Thomson (2012). Language Teaching ► pp. 1 ff. DOI logo
Rose, Céline & Adam F. McBride
2023. French pronunciation instruction using the PACE model. Foreign Language Annals 56:3 ► pp. 532 ff. DOI logo
Sippel, Lieselotte & Ines A. Martin
2023. Immediate and long-term improvement in lexical stress perception: the role of teacher and peer feedback. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 61:3 ► pp. 1173 ff. DOI logo
Sippel, Lieselotte & Ines A. Martin
2024. Is corrective feedback during telecollaboration beneficial? The effects of peer and teacher corrections on L2 writing proficiency. Journal of Second Language Writing 64 ► pp. 101098 ff. DOI logo
Couper, Graeme
2022. Effective Feedback for Pronunciation Teaching. In Second Language Pronunciation, ► pp. 174 ff. DOI logo
Darcy, Isabelle & Brian Rocca
2022. Comprehensibility improvements in integrated pronunciation instruction. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 8:3 ► pp. 328 ff. DOI logo
Gordon, Joshua & Isabelle Darcy
2022. Teaching segmentals and suprasegmentals. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 8:2 ► pp. 168 ff. DOI logo
Martin, Ines A. & Solène Inceoglu
2022. The Laboratory, the Classroom, and Online. In Second Language Pronunciation, ► pp. 254 ff. DOI logo
Martin, Ines A. & Lieselotte Sippel
2022. Do beliefs matter? The relationship between beliefs about peer feedback and peer feedback outcomes on pronunciation. Language Teaching Research ► pp. 136216882210973 ff. DOI logo
Martin, Ines A. & Lieselotte Sippel
2023. Long-term effects of peer and teacher feedback on L2 pronunciation. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 9:1 ► pp. 20 ff. DOI logo
Martin, Ines A. & Lieselotte Sippel
2024. Providing vs. receiving peer feedback: Learners’ beliefs and experiences. Language Teaching Research 28:3 ► pp. 1033 ff. DOI logo
Martoccio, Alyssa
2022. Effects of explicit phonetics instruction and a podcasting project on L2 Spanish vowel quality production. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation 8:3 ► pp. 389 ff. DOI logo
Sato, Masatoshi
2022. Learner attitudes and attention to form in peer interaction: A proposal to replicate Adams et al. (2011) and Philp et al. (2010). Language Teaching 55:3 ► pp. 407 ff. DOI logo
Sonsaat‐Hegelheimer, Sinem & Shannon McCrocklin
2022. Research‐informed Materials for Pronunciation Teaching. In Second Language Pronunciation, ► pp. 293 ff. DOI logo
Sippel, Lieselotte
2020. German Learners' Beliefs About Peer Interaction and Peer Feedback. Die Unterrichtspraxis/Teaching German 53:2 ► pp. 175 ff. DOI logo
Sippel, Lieselotte
2024. Maximizing the benefits of peer interaction: Form-focused instruction and peer feedback training. Language Teaching Research 28:2 ► pp. 413 ff. DOI logo
[no author supplied]
2024. Pronunciation. In A Practical Guide to Second Language Teaching and Learning, ► pp. 142 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 15 september 2024. 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.