Improving peer feedback literacy and practice in second-language pronunciation through regular multi-stage training

Purpose This study investigated whether regular multi-stage training can impact peer feedback literacy and practice in L2 pronunciation.Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a quasi-experimental design. Eighty-three first-year English majors at a Chinese university were assigned to a control or experimental group and participated in eight peer feedback tasks using an online pronunciation peer feedback form. The experimental group received eight weekly training sessions that covered briefing, modeling, and evaluating, whereas the control group received a one-time briefing. The peer feedback literacy of the two groups was compared using a questionnaire, and their practice was evaluated by analyzing their peer feedback comments in terms of amount, quality, and content.Findings Training improved both peer feedback literacy and practice. The experimental group’s peer feedback literacy increased, whereas the control group’s decreased. Training also improved the amount and quality of peer feedback, but not its content: the experimental group provided longer, more specific feedback comments with more modes than the control group, but feedback relevance was comparable in the two groups.Originality/value These findings prove that multi-stage training can promote peer feedback literacy and practice in L2 pronunciation, which lends empirical support to adopting and enhancing peer feedback in L2 pronunciation.