Developing L2 prosodic competence online: Implications of the emergency remote teaching

Abstract

This paper addresses the issue of transferring L2 prosody teaching to online settings due to the lockdown. The reasons are provided to account for the vulnerable status of pronunciation teaching and related risks. We report the results of the research project carried out in Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology with forty Russianspeaking engineering students. In this study a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods was used. The study first provided a critique of preexisting computer-based pronunciation training (CAPT) options ensuring learning continuity. These options were then analyzed against global educational policies related to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on this understanding, a methodological framework was designed to bridge the gap between prosody teaching goals and digital tools. At the next stage, experimental teaching was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of this framework. Once data from the interviews, rating scales and participant observation were collected, a descriptive analysis of the results was given. The findings showed that the suggested training had an important effect on L2 prosody acquisition by engineering students