Effects and users’ reactions to the use of CAPT and HVPT on Japanese EFL learners’ segmental perception and production

High Variability Phonetic Training (HVPT) is a perception-based pronunciation training which has brought about progress in both perception and production in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms. This could be due to the increased exposure to second language sound varieties presented at random, which is unique to HVPT. Progress in production, however, was usually slower than in perception. One explanation for this is that, in EFL contexts, the learners have fewer chances to find clues on how to articulate the target sounds, such as /r/, since HVPT only provides acoustic images. This study examines the effect of explicit instruction before and during HVPT training. The participants were shown a video on how to articulate the target sounds, and were asked to repeat the sounds after the stimuli during HVPT. The results showed significant increases, particularly in production. On a follow-up questionnaire, a majority of the participants expressed that they benefited from the inclusion of explicit instruction.