Video feedback and Foreign Language Anxiety in online pronunciation tasks

Abstract

Abstract Despite many studies about video feedback in both face-to-face and online settings, little research has been carried out exploring how this technique is perceived by students learning the pronunciation of specific sounds in a foreign language. Adopting grounded theory as the methodology and a dialogic approach as the conceptual framework, the present study shows that anxious students welcome video feedback. The design of a learning activity for students to practise a specific problematic pronunciation target in English, carried out in an e-learning environment, more specifically in an online English language course, is described. The results show three aspects of teacher's corrective video feedback, perceived as more relevant: the Emotional input of feedback, referred to the feelings around the feedback delivery which foster dialogue, closeness, motivation and empathy; Enhanced understanding, related to the clarity, the usability and personalization of the feedback; and feedback engagement, which are the conditions favouring agentic engagement that involves the students sharing responsibility for making feedback processes effective. Implications related to video feedback practices are also discussed.

Keywords

• Feedback
• Video feedback
• Language learning
• Pronunciation
• Foreign Language Anxiety