Abstract
The use of technology, such as computer-assisted language learning (CALL), is used in teaching and learning in the foreign language classrooms where it is most needed. One promising emerging technology that supports language learning is automatic speech recognition (ASR). Integrating such technology, especially in the instruction of pronunciation in the classroom, is important in helping students to achieve correct pronunciation. In Iraq, English is a foreign language, and it is not surprising that learners commit many pronunciation mistakes. One factor contributing to these mistakes is the difference between the Arabic and English phonetic systems. Thus, the sound transformation from the mother tongue (Arabic) to the target language (English) is one barrier for Arab learners. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of using automatic speech recognition ASR EyeSpeak software in improving the pronunciation of Iraqi learners of English. An experimental research project with a pretest-posttest design is conducted over a one-month period in the Department of English at Al-Turath University College in Baghdad, Iraq. The ten participants are randomly selected first-year college students enrolled in a pronunciation class that uses traditional teaching methods and ASR EyeSpeak software. The findings show that using EyeSpeak software leads to a significant improvement in the students’ English pronunciation, evident from the test scores they achieve after using EyeSpeak software.
Highlights
The increasing demand for technology use in everyday life serves many purposes, one of which being in education as a way to facilitate teaching and learning
The conclusion of the pilot study confirms that using automatic speech recognition (ASR) EyeSpeak software did improve Iraqi students’ pronunciation of English sounds absent from their mother tongue (Arabic)
The objective of this study is to help Iraqi college students improve their English pronunciation by focusing on the English consonant sounds not found in the Arabic phonetic system
Summary
The increasing demand for technology use in everyday life serves many purposes, one of which being in education as a way to facilitate teaching and learning. In helping students achieve this, using classroom-based technology such as automatic speech recognition (ASR) to teach English pronunciation has a positive impact on an individual’s outcomes and performance (Chapella, 2001). It provides authentic material, such as native speakers’ pronunciation of the target language, and at the same time allows the students to listen to and practice their pronunciation in an enjoyable setting; it gives each individual learner immediate corrections and feedback, which is difficult to achieve in class with a large number of students
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