The effects of corrective feedback in classroom-based L2 perception training

Abstract

The present study investigated the effectiveness of classroom-based perception training and different types of corrective feedback on learners’ perception of the German vowel pairs /ʊ/–/ʏ/ (as in Mutter – Mütter ) and /ɔ/–/œ/ (as in Tochter – Töchter ). Participants included 68 L2 learners of German in intact university courses. They completed an in-class perception training and were assigned to one of three feedback conditions: target feedback, nontarget feedback, or a combination of both. Results from an AX task revealed that learners with low prior perceptual accuracy benefited from the training, whereas learners with higher prior perceptual accuracy did not. No differential effects emerged among the three feedback types, suggesting that in ecologically valid classroom contexts, the mere presence of feedback may be more influential than its specific form. These findings highlight the pedagogical value of early perception-focused pronunciation instruction in classroom contexts.