Effects of Automatic Speech Recognition Software on Pronunciation for Adults With Different Learning Styles

Abstract

This study investigated how learning styles (visual/verbal) and the use of Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) software affect English as a Second Language adult learners’ improvement during a 12-week course focusing on pronunciation. In the control group (n = 28), the teacher corrected and gave feedback on the adult learners’ pronunciation; experimental group 1 (n = 33) used dictation ASR along with peers’ correction; and experimental group 2 (n = 31) used dictation ASR alone. Their pre- and post-tests on pronunciation in reading tasks and live conversation were analyzed with their learning styles taken into account, using 2-way ANCOVA. The results suggest that learning styles made a significant difference in the pronunciation performance of the reading task in all groups. Visual style learners outperformed verbal style learners in the reading task. The combination of ASR and peer correction yielded the highest improvement in both reading tasks and live conversation.