Traditional Lecture Instruction vs. Computer-assisted Instruction on Pronunciation Teaching: A Pilot Study of College Students at NKMU

Abstract

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has become one of the hottest issues on second language teaching in Taiwan for decades. Many scholars and teachers of ESL/EFL believed that teaching English by computers was more effective and interesting. Thus, the research hypothesis was: pronunciation teaching by computers was more effective than the traditional lecture instruction. This study attempts to explore the most effective way of pronunciation teaching for the college students at National Kaohsiung Marine University (NKMU). Then to motivate their interest and confidence in English. Finally, to make their communication more fluently and successfully while speaking English. 42 students took the two-credit course: Oral Training of the Honor Program. They were divided into two groups: traditional lecture instruction and computer-assisted instruction group. Both groups studied segaments (vowels and consonants), sound combination and supra-segaments (stress and intonation). Each participant had a pre-test and a post-test. Results of this study showed all the participants made improvements on the post-test. Besides, the CAI was more effective than the traditional lecture instruction. To conclude, the comprehensible pronunciation can not only build the students' confidence and interest in English but also promote their communication. Thus, pronunciation teaching has become the most crucial and significant for the college students at NKMU.