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Abstract
ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the benefits of synchronous computer-mediated recasts for Indonesian-speaking learners in improving the categorical perception of voice onset time (VOT) in Mandarin stops. It also examined how individual differences in auditory processing predicted these benefits. Methodology Using an interventional design with pre- and posttests, 64 beginning Indonesian learners of second language (L2) Mandarin participated in a 17-week synchronous computer-mediated communication course. Half of the participants received one-on-one recasts for their nontarget-like utterances of Mandarin stops (/ph/-/p/, /th/-/t/, /kh/-/k/), while the other half served as the control group and received no such feedback. Classical categorical perception tests on a VOT continuum from Mandarin /ph/ to /p/ were administered through identification and discrimination tasks before, immediately after, and four weeks post-treatment. Auditory processing tests were also conducted to measure participants’ ability to encode spectral and temporal sound details. Findings Results showed that the recast group exhibited more pronounced improvement in VOT categorization, with significantly narrower boundary width and better between-category discrimination in both posttests compared to the control group. Regression analysis confirmed that individual differences in auditory processing significantly predicted the benefits of recasts. Originality/value These findings suggest that optimal, profile-matched instruction in a synchronous computer-mediated communication context can maximize L2 speech learning, aiding educators and researchers in setting evidence-based expectations and goals.
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