The Effectiveness of Video‐Based Shadowing and Tracking Pronunciation Exercises for Foreign Language Learners

Abstract

AbstractThis exploratory classroom study investigated the effects of two video‐assisted pronunciation interventions on the French pronunciation of 12 males and 7 females (n = 19) enrolled in a fourth‐year high school French class. Interventions occurred three times per week over a semester and required participants to repeat what they heard while watching subtitled, cultural videos in French—both during class and in self‐directed computer‐lab exercises. Researchers assessed the improvement in pronunciation performance using pre‐ and posttests consisting of both read‐aloud and oral free response tasks. Statistically significant improvements were observed on both tasks, with the most striking on the read‐aloud task. Participants’ perceptions of interventions were also examined using both qualitative and quantitative surveys, which indicated that students appreciated the authenticity and learning autonomy of the self‐directed exercises. Findings suggest that distributed practice through culturally contextualized, video‐based interventions may offer an engaging way to incorporate explicit pronunciation instruction into the high school classroom.