The Use of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training in Teaching English Pronunciation for First-Year EFL Students at Saida University

Abstract

The present research work investigates the use of Computer Assisted Pronunciation Training in teaching English pronunciation for first-year EFL students at the department of English language and literature, Saida University, Algeria. It also aims to provide a cursory account of the vital place of Information and Communication Technology in developing the linguistic skills of English foreign language learners in particular and the learning process in Algerian universities in general. The topic is an original contribution in the Algerian context since there is a scarcity of studies related to the teaching of English pronunciation through the use of ICT tools. The researchers relied on “Pronunciation Coach Software,” which focuses on developing the learner’s correct pronunciation of English sounds, including consonants and diphthongs, through an experiment with two groups of students. The investigation took six months. To evaluate students’ oral production, the researchers conducted a Pretest and a Posttest. The test proved that students’ negative attitudes towards learning English pronunciation changed after integrating the Pronunciation Coach. The results also revealed that there is an improvement in pronouncing certain sounds mainly, /S,tS/, dZ, Z/ and /T, D/ and, some vowels, including /Q, ℘/, /U,, /↔U, aU/ and /eI, aI/. The findings further demonstrated that students became more aware of the main differences between English and Arabic pronunciations in terms of place and manner of articulation of sounds.