Exploring EFL Learners’ Attitudes Towards the Effectiveness of Recast vs. Explicit Corrective Feedback on Pronunciation

This study investigates learners’ attitudes towards the effectiveness of recast versus explicit feedback for pronunciation improvement. The data were collected through a semi-structured interview, with ten EFL pupils in their third year as undergraduates from the English department at Ibn Tofail University participating. The data were analyzed thematically to determine themes related to learners’ perceived usefulness of the oral feedback, namely recast and explicit feedback, and the type viewed to be of greater impact on pronunciation. The findings revealed that learners view both recast and explicit feedback as effective. The effectiveness of explicit feedback was attributed to its clarity, being less time-consuming and ability to highlight errors. For recast, its effectiveness was due to its implicitness, which does little to no harm to emotions. Concerning the type learners perceive to have a greater impact, most learners stated that explicit feedback is more effective due to its visibility, making them cautious of repeating mistakes, unlike recast which is sometimes difficult to realize as corrective. However, one learner went for recast, appreciating its gentle approach and expressing how explicit feedback could trigger stress, making learners focus on their embarrassing situation rather than fixing the error. Additionally, one learner highlighted personal preference as a determining factor in the perceived effectiveness of feedback types. The findings suggest that the effectiveness of feedback is closely related to attitudes. Therefore, teachers could employ corrective methods that are explicit enough while making sure they are not too obvious to avoid harming learners emotionally.