This study validates the academic and affective effects of learning English consonants /f/, /v/, /r/, and /l/ using an English pronunciation training AI application. Korean English learners often have trouble communicating in English due to their low ...
This study validates the academic and affective effects of learning English consonants /f/, /v/, /r/, and /l/ using an English pronunciation training AI application. Korean English learners often have trouble communicating in English due to their low accuracy in English pronunciation. Effective English pronunciation instruction is needed as not enough content regarding English pronunciation is available in current textbooks in elementary, middle, and high school. In addition, AI has emerged in the English Education field in that it helps teachers give individual guidance to each student, otherwise almost impossible in a classroom setting. However, no study has focused on English pronunciation education using AI technology. This present study aims to fill this literature gap and to set an opportunity to contemplate a future education plan.
Pronunciation instruction in this study consists of three parts - noticing, awareness, and practice - as is based on Form-Focused Instruction(FFI). In the noticing part, explicit phonetic instruction is given to learners so that they can recognize the difference between their own pronunciation and the model or correct pronunciation. In the awareness part, learners are instructed to use the English pronunciation training AI application with their own smartphones. In the practice part, learners played a card game, which helps them read sentences including the target phonemes a loud and recognize the meaning difference between the minimal pairs.
The analysis of the results is divided into two parts: academic and affective effects. In light of the academic aspects, the accuracy of the learners’ pronunciation has improved in all four phonemes, /f/, /v/, /r/, and /l/. As for affective effects, students responded to a survey regarding their English pronunciation confidence and their usual or average pronunciation confidence. Interestingly, English pronunciation instruction improved both English and usual pronunciation confidence.
After all the instructions were done, students were asked to think about the most interesting part of the instructions. All three learners’ answers were the explicit phonetic instruction in the noticing part. One of the reasons they chose this part was that it was the part they interacted with the teacher. Also, they found it very impressive to notice the way they pronounce certain phonemes. Much time was spared to using the pronunciation training AI application but learners thought they learned more when they interacted with their teacher. As a result, it is recommended that AI or any future technology should be used in the classroom only after instructions from the teacher are given or any activities requiring interactions with the teacher are preceded. The teacher would play an important role in the learning process, and that incorporating technology should be done in a way that complements and enhances the teacher's instruction rather than replacing it.