This research examines the interactive effects of corrective feedback (CF) and inhibitory control (IC) on the pronunciation development of Chinese high school students learning English as a Second Language (ESL). While Corrective Feedback (CF) is a cornerstone of pronunciation instruction, its variable effectiveness suggests that individual cognitive differences, particularly Inhibitory Control (IC), may moderate learning outcomes. IC represents the executive capacity to suppress dominant, automatic L1 responses in favor of novel L2 targets. This study investigates the interactive effects of explicit and implicit CF on the pronunciation development of adolescent learners, a demographic often underrepresented in cognitive-interactionist research. Employing a quasi-experimental design, 150 Grade 10 Chinese EFL students were randomly assigned to three conditions: explicit CF, implicit CF, and a control group. Over an 11-week intervention, learners received targeted pronunciation instruction. To capture the multidimensionality of cognitive control, IC was assessed using both the Stop-Signal Task (response inhibition) and the Flanker Task (interference inhibition). Pronunciation proficiency was measured using the Cambridge English Scale at pre-test, immediate post-test, and a delayed post-test to evaluate long-term retention. It is hypothesized that explicit feedback will be significantly more effective for learners with strong IC capacities, enabling them to consciously inhibit L1 transfer and attend to metalinguistic information. By elucidating the interaction between cognitive mechanisms and instructional types, this research aims to bridge the gap between cognitive psychology and applied linguistics, offering educators evidence-based frameworks for tailoring feedback strategies to individual cognitive profiles to maximize phonological acquisition.

Yishen Zhou, Xibo Wu, Changli Chen. The Interaction between Corrective Feedback and Inhibitory Control: Investigating the Combined Effects on ESL Learners' Pronunciation. Frontiers in Educational Research (2026), Vol. 9, Issue 6: 1-12. https://doi.org/10.25236/FER.2026.090601.

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