Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation: A Case Study

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation: A Case Study"

Transcription

1 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation: A Case Study Ah-Young Kim (Seoul National University) Kim, A. (2012). Investigating the effectiveness of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in improving pronunciation: A case study. Multimedia-Assisted Language Learning, 15(3), This study examined the effectiveness of incorporating computer-assisted language learning in instructing pronunciation to adult English as a second language (ESL) learners. The Technology Enhanced Accent Modification (TEAM) program, a computer software, was used to enhance the pronunciation of international graduate students at a U.S. university hoping to become certified international teaching assistants. Special emphasis was given to improving suprasegmentals (e.g., stress, rhythm, and intonation) in addition to segmentals (e.g., vowels and consonants). This case study focused on two male Korean graduate students, majoring in science, and investigated how these individuals enhanced their pronunciation and oral English proficiency in terms of native-like quality and fluency. Data from two months of direct observation, an oral interview, and the VARK questionnaire (an instrument that measures learning preference) were collected and analyzed along with pre-test and post-test audio speech samples. The visual feedback of the TEAM program and participants individual learning preferences for a visual mode were found to enhance their self-awareness and self-monitoring of pronunciation. Furthermore, visual feedback and visual preference for learning led to improved pronunciation, native-like quality, and fluency.

2 12 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation I. INTRODUCTION The main purpose of learning English is not to achieve native-like accent or pronunciation. However, people with poor accents can be perceived to lack oral English competence. Accent includes both the articulation of segmentals individual consonant and vowel sounds and the production of suprasegmentals the prosodic features of English such as intonation, rhythm, and stress (Anderson-Hsieh, 1992). Due to the key functions of suprasegmentals in communication, it is important to teach them along with segmentals in early stages of English as a second language (ESL) instruction (McNerney & Mendelsohn, 1987). The traditional ESL teaching methodology such as listen and repeat drills in the audiolingual methodology has neglected suprasegmentals and has not been very successful in improving English pronunciation (Molholt, Lane, Tanner, & Fischer, 1988). However, computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is equipped with several promising features, for example, visual displays, which can be used for effectively teaching both segmentals and suprasegmentals (Eskenazi, 1999; Pennington, 1999; Tanner & Landon, 2009; Thomson, 2011). The Technology Enhanced Accent Modification (TEAM) program (Schwartz, 1996), a type of CALL, has been introduced to a university in Southern U.S. It has been used for assisting international graduate students who have conditionally passed the English Oral Proficiency Assessment (EOPA). EOPA is an exam that international graduate students must take to become certified international teaching assistants (ITAs). The EOPA ranges between 0-300: : pass : conditionally pass (eligible for the TEAM program) 0-229: fail Every semester, about a dozen students, who conditionally passed the EOPA, receive pronunciation instruction using the TEAM program, which will be referred to as TEAM instruction. Many demonstrate noticeable progress in their speaking skills and become certified ITAs. Yet, the degree of effectiveness of TEAM instruction has been somewhat of a mystery due to the lack of research. Schwartz (1996), the developer of the TEAM program, conducted an empirical study where he compared an ITA group that received TEAM instruction (TEAM-ITA) and an ITA group that took either an ESL class or a speech therapy session (OP-ITA). He found that the oral proficiency of the TEAM-ITA group improved in the SPEAK test and an accent survey. However, more research should

3 Ah-Young Kim 13 be conducted to examine in detail the characteristics of the TEAM program and specific learner variables that contribute to improvement in pronunciation. Possibly learners with a preference for visual mode of feedback may benefit more from the TEAM program. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of TEAM instruction by conducting a case study. Two ESL learners receiving TEAM instruction were closely observed to understand how learners enhanced their pronunciation. For this purpose, this study specifically addressed the following research questions: 1. How much improvement of pronunciation can be obtained through TEAM instruction? 2. What are the features of TEAM instruction that lead to improvement in pronunciation? 3. Does learners specific learning style affect improvement in pronunciation in TEAM instruction? II. LITERATURE REVIEW Both segmentals and suprasegmentals are major components of pronunciation. While segmentals refer to consonant and vowel sounds, suprasegmentals are unit[s] which extend over more than one sound in an utterance (Richards, Platt, & Platt, 1992, p. 366) and involve the prosodic features of the language, which are stress, rhythm, and intonation (Anderson-Hsieh, 1992, p. 52). Stress is characterized by pitch, amplitude, and duration. At the word level, a stressed syllable is higher in pitch, louder, and longer than unstressed syllables. Similarly, at the sentence level, stressed parts of the speech are higher louder, and longer than unstressed ones (Anderson-Hsieh, 1992). Rhythm is the timing mechanism of a language (Anderson-Hsieh, 1992) formed by the combination of word and sentence stress. In stress-timed languages, such as English, the stressed syllables are thought to have equal intervals of time although this rule is not strictly applied in spoken English (Richards, Platt, & Platt, 1992). Intonation, or the melody of speech, refers to a range of pitch variations in speech, such as the rise or fall or utterance(s) (Wong, 1987). In the past, segmentals were believed to be essential in pronunciation based on the belief that clear speech depended upon correct articulation of individual sound elements (van Els & de Bot, 1987; Wong, 1987). Therefore, teachers first instructed segmentals, especially vowels, to ESL learners which caused more problems than consonants

4 14 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation (McNerney & Mendelsohn, 1987). However, from the early 1980s, there has been a shift of focus from segmentals to suprasegmentals in ESL instruction (Boyle, 1987; Celce-Murcia, Brinton, & Goodwin, 1996; Chun, 1998) due to the importance of communicative competence in language learning (Celce-Murcia et al., 1996). Thus, suprasegmentals, which play a major role in communication came into the spotlight (Chun, 1988). For example, a rise and fall of intonation can signal turn-taking. Research suggests that instructing suprasegmentals could have a greater impact on improving English competence than segmentals (Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe, 1997, 1998; Derwing & Rossiter, 2003; Kang, 2010; McNerney & Mendelsohn, 1987). Since learners have limited time, they should work on suprasegmentals that could bring the most impact in a short period (Wong, 1987). Moreover, an early training in suprasegmentals positively influences the learning of segmentals, especially vowels (Eskenazi, 1999). For instance, in articulating prosody, both first and second syllables have the vowel o, but only the first vowel receives stress. Thus, applying accurate stress to the word produces correct vowel sounds. The traditional pronunciation teaching methods, such as Audiolingual Method and Direct Method, have not been very effective in pronunciation instruction (Molholt et al., 1988). These methods tend to focus more on the segmentals rather than on the suprasegmentals of whole sentences. Also, they do not provide detailed feedback to learners in terms of how their speech deviate from the model utterance, causing inaccurate pronunciation to become fossilized (Molholt, Lane, Tanner, & Fischer, 1988). Contrarily, CALL contains features that can be used to overcome the drawbacks of traditional pronunciation teaching methods (Pennington, 1999). CALL fulfills the five basic conditions for effective language learning (Eskenazi, 1999): (1) Learners hear large quantities of speech; (2) leaners produce large quantities of speech; (3) learners receive effective feedback; (4) learners feel at ease; (5) learners receive ongoing assessment. Of these, CALL s main strength lies in its capacity to provide pertinent feedback by letting the learner visually compare his/her own speech with that of a native speaker (Eskenazi, 1999). In addition, using CALL, it is possible to provide immediate feedback, much faster than a human teacher (Pennington, 1999). A plethora of studies support the effectiveness of visual displays in pronunciation instruction (e.g., de Bot, 1983; de Bot & Mailfer, 1982; Schwartz, 1996; Tanner & Landon, 2009). CALL is effective in promoting pronunciation of both segmentals (Thomson, 2011) and suprasegmentals (Anderson-Hsieh, 1994; Eskenazi, 1999; Neri, Cucchiarini, Strik, & Boves, 2002). Although numerous studies have investigated the effectiveness of CALL in

5 Ah-Young Kim 15 pronunciation instruction, few have analyzed in detail the specific variables that contributes to enhanced pronunciation. Thus, in this research, a case study was conducted to closely observe how learners improved their pronunciation through TEAM instruction, a type of CALL. III. METHODOLOGY A case study (Wiersma, 2000) was conducted on two Korean male graduate students for investigating the effectiveness of TEAM instruction in enhancing pronunciation. 1. Participants 1) International Graduate Students Two Korean male graduate students in science/engineering participated in this study. It was necessary to have a homogeneous group of subjects to reduce personal variable factors such as language or academic background. Korean students were selected since the researcher s understanding of Korean (e.g., similarities and differences between Korean and English sound system) could be helpful in instructing pronunciation and analyzing data for completing this research. At the time of the study, several students had enrolled into the TEAM program, two of which were Koreans. Thus, these two learners were chosen as participants of this study. In detail, Participant A was a 26-year-old single male from Seoul, Korea. He came to the U.S. a year ago and was a second year doctoral student in Physics. He had received six years of formal English education from seventh to 12th grade in Korea. However, he lacked oral communicative competence and conditionally passed the English oral proficiency assessment (EOPA). Participant B was a 35-year-old Korean male, who came to the U.S. eight years ago from Korea. He was a fourth year Ph.D. student and a full-time research assistant in the Department of Civil Engineering. Like Participant A, he received six year of English education in Korea, but lacked oral communicative competence and conditionally passed the EOPA. 2) Native English Speaker Raters Four native English speakers rated international graduate students speech samples to measure their progress in oral proficiency. These raters were graduate students who had

6 16 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation strong background knowledge in teaching ESL and phonology. However, raters did not have previous experience in rating speaking. Raters were all females in their mid- to late-twenties. 2. Instruments 1) VARK Questionnaire Since the TEAM program mostly uses visual and auditory stimulation, it seemed necessary to investigate the learning preferences of the participants to understand if preference of visual or auditory mode affected learning. In the beginning of the TEAM program, participants completed the VARK online survey, consisting of 13 items ( The survey measures learners specific learning style preference of modality in the intake and the output of information (refer to Appendix 1). This survey was designed based on the idea that people have different learning styles based on their preference of four modes: visual, aural, read/write, and kinesthetic. Thus, learners with a strong preference for the visual mode have a better capability to process information that is visually presented in charts, graphs, and various geometric symbols; those with preference for the aural mode like to hear information; those who favor the read/write mode enjoy learning through displayed words; people who prefer the kinesthetic mode like to use experience and simulated/real practice (Fleming, 2012). 2) TEAM Program The TEAM computer software program was developed by Schwartz (1996) to provide accent modification instruction to ITAs and university faculty. It includes unique features such as visual mode of feedback and consists of 15 instructional topics, divided into three groups: (1) suprasegmentals, (2) segmentals, and (3) a combination of (1) and (2). Suprasegmental topics include intonation, phrasing, syllable stress, contrastive stress, word focus, word endings, and speech flow. Segmental topics involve back vowels, diphthongs, front vowels, consonant voicing, and vowel reduction. The TEAM program is ideal for one-on-one session between a tutor and an English language learner. Each instructional activity consists of six steps: (1) choose an activity, (2) watch and listen to a model speech sample, (3) repeat after the model speech, (4) record student s own speech, (5) watch and listen to the student s speech, and (6) evaluate the student s speech. Each speech sample, as seen in Figure 1, is displayed on the computer monitor simultaneously with the voice recording of a native English speaker.

7 Ah-Young Kim 17 After recording his/her own speech of the given activity, the student can see and listen to his/her recording below the model speech sample (refer to [Figure 2]). [Figure 1] A Model Speech (Pitch) [Figure 2] A Model Speech (Above) and a Student s Speech (Below) (Pitch)

8 18 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation 3) Oral Interview Questionnaire The oral interview questionnaire was conducted towards the end of the TEAM program to investigate the participants perceived effectiveness of the program. The questionnaire consisted of 15 questions in four areas (refer to Appendix 2): (1) Type and amount of English input/environment (2) Expectation about TEAM instruction (3) Self-evaluation (4) Comments and suggestions for TEAM instruction 4) Speech Sample Script A pre- and a post-test of each participant s speech samples were collected to assess the effectiveness of TEAM instruction. Participants read aloud a one-page script from the TV program called the Pulse of the Planet, written in a colloquial style. The topic of the script was the internet, which the participants were familiar with. 5) Speech Sample Rating Sheet The rating sheet was used while assessing the participants speech samples. The rating sheet consisted of seven items categorized into three areas: suprasegmentals, segmentals, and oral English proficiency (consisting of native-like quality and fluency). As seen in Appendix 3, suprasegmentals and segmentals were rated qualitatively to obtain detailed information. Overall English proficiency was assessed quantitatively in terms of native-like quality (on a scale of 1-7) and fluency (on a scale of 1-5). Native-like quality measured the general accentedness of speech (e.g., Munro, & Derwing, 1995; Riney, Takagi, & Inutsuka, 2005), whereas fluency measured the degree of difficulty of comprehending speech (e.g, Derwing, & Munro, 2005). 3. Methods for Data Collection Each participant completed the VARK questionnaire online before receiving TEAM instruction. Then, a direct observation of their TEAM instruction was made. Participants received 12 individual tutoring sessions in the span of approximately two months. The researcher met with individual participants twice a week for an hour. During the session, the participant engaged in TEAM activities. In addition, various reading materials (e.g., newspaper articles, journal articles from the participant s field, and papers the participant

9 Ah-Young Kim 19 previously wrote) were used to supplement the tutoring sessions. There was an average of one assignment per week the participant wrote a half-page essay and recorded it on a recorder. The assignment was reviewed in class for any pronunciation errors. A typical tutoring session had the following sequence: Engage in a casual conversation for warming up. Check assignment or read a short reading material and check pronunciation errors. Work on TEAM activities for minutes. Observation notes were taken during each session to keep a detailed record of the TEAM activities that were covered each day: how the participant first perceived the sentence model, what kind of difficulties were experienced while perceiving and producing the model, and how successful the participant s response were compared to the native-speaker s model speech. On the tenth session, participants engaged in an oral interview. In addition, a pre- and post-test of each participant s speech were collected and rated by four native English speakers. In detail, the effectiveness of the TEAM program was examined by measuring the participants progress in their pronunciation. Each participant read a one-page script on the topic of internet. They were given sufficient time to read and comprehend the material before their speech was recorded. They were instructed to read the script as if they were speaking to an audience. The participant s pre- and a post-test speech samples were rated by native English speakers. The raters received a short training session before they proceeded to rate each speech sample. Each rater listened to the four speech samples in a random order. After listening to the speech sample, each rater completed a rating sheet. 4. Methods for Data Analysis The participants completed VARK questionnaires were collected and analyzed to understand their learning preferences. The observation notes made during the individual tutoring sessions were analyzed. For each lesson, notes were kept regarding the activity covered during the session and the participants performance in terms of their progress and difficulties. Any noticeable progress or difficulty was marked for further interpretation. The recordings from the oral interview were transcribed into written text. The participants responses were organized according to each question addressed during the interview. The ratings of the participant s speech samples were analyzed in detail.

10 20 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation IV. FINDINGS This section discusses the case study findings obtained by analyzing data from the VARK questionnaire, direct observation, oral interview, and speech samples. 1. Case Study Findings Participant A Participant A had somewhat limited exposure to English. He spoke English six to seven hours per week in total. He had just started working as a temporary assistant in a physics lab. There, he talked to his supervisor, a native speaker of English, almost everyday for minutes about his research. He shared the lab with six other graduate students who were native speakers of English. Once a week, all lab members gathered for a group meeting with the supervisor. During the meeting, the participant well understood what other members presented on. However, he had difficulty engaging in casual conversations with them. Apparently, his Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) was superior to his Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS). Through TEAM instruction, he wanted to improve his English accent and become a certified ITA. Nevertheless, he was slightly skeptical about the program because he had never received any type oftutoring in the past and was unsure of its effectiveness. The results from the VARK survey indicated that Participant A had a multimodal learning style. Thus, he had similar preference for visual, reading/writing, and kinesthetic information. In detail, te favored (1) visually presented information in charts, graphs, and various geometric symbols, (2) displayed words, and (3) experience simulated or real practice. Since the TEAM program mainly uses visual displays, it was presumed that he would show significant improvement from the training due to his visual preference. According to his EOPA results, the participant demonstrated poor stress patterns and pauses in his speech. Also, he had some problems with vowels, especially with long vowels such as [i] in heat. In the beginning of the TEAM program, the participant worked on TEAM activities that he experience the most difficulties with. Since he had non-standard stress patterns, he worked on the Syllable Stress activity first. Often he could not correctly identify certain phrases from the model sentence, which led to mispronunciation. Either he did not know the meaning of the phrases or did not know how the phrases were pronounced in English. For example, he incorrectly perceived the model sentence This data contradicts your hypothesis as This state contradicts your hypotheses. In the model sentence, the keywords data, contradicts, and hypotheses all receive stress. Thus, when the sentence is spoken, the keywords are pronounced

11 Ah-Young Kim 21 comparatively longer, louder, and higher in pitch than other words. However, other words this, your are usually not emphasized and are spoken shorter, quieter, and lower in pitch. Moreover, due to phrasing, this and data become one noun phrase. Thus, the two words are normally pronounced continuously without any pause in between. If the participant had more background knowledge in stressing and phrasing, he may have not perceived this data as this state. After participating in the TEAM program, the participant showed progress in almost all the TEAM activities that he worked on. Moreover, he shared that he became highly aware of his speech and became overly self-conscious of making pronunciation errors. He commented that he started to pay more attention to the stress of words when consulting a dictionary. Yet, there were times when he repeatedly made the same mistakes. Therefore, certain consonants had to be practiced multiple times. During the oral interview, when asked how much improvement the participant believed he had obtained on a 1 (very little) to 5 (very much) scale, he replied that he made an average improvement and gave himself a score of three. He added that he generally became more comfortable and confident in the areas of listening and speaking. Furthermore, he realized the importance of pronunciation in English. Contrary to his initial skepticism about tutoring, he found TEAM instruction to be beneficial due to the visual display on the monitor spectrograms of pitch patterns and intonation contours. The program helped him realize the kinds of pronunciation mistakes he made and at the same [Table 1] Analysis of Participant A s Speech Samples Suprasegmentals & Segmentals Intonation Pre-test There was a general trend of rise in intonation in statements. Post-test Generally very good. Intonation rose and dropped properly although utterances were still a bit monotonous. Rhythm Stress Consonant Vowel Rhythm was choppy with inappropriate pauses. For example keep it up to data sounded staccato. He incorrectly stressed keywords such as internet. He omitted final plural consonant s in Times, humans, and documents. Vowels sounds ok except for where he stressed the wrong syllable as in internet. Generally fine, but sentences lacked speed. Fairly good. whenever he made an error he immediately corrected it. Mostly correct, but he still omitted final consonants. Ok except for where he stressed words incorrectly.

12 22 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation time provided opportunities to correct them. He added that two hours per week of training did not seem sufficient and suggested at least four hours per week of lessons. Analysis of audio-taped speech sample ratings (both pre-test and post-test) indicated that the participant significantly improved in suprasegmentals such as intonation and stress (refer to Table 1). However, his segmentals did not show much change. Moreover, Participant A made noticeable improvement in his oral proficiency in terms of native-like quality and fluency. As shown in Table 2, his performance in native-like quality improved from 2 to 2.75 points by.75 point (13%) on a 1 (clearly foreign) to 7 (clearly native speaker) scale; his fluency enhanced from 2.5 to 3.25 points by.75 point (19%) on a 1 (not fluent at all) to 5 (very fluent) scale. [Table 2] Analysis of Participant A s Speech Samples Overall Proficiency Native-like quality (1-7 scale) Fluency (1-5 scale) pre-t post-t pre-t post-t Rater Rater Rater Rater Average Case Study Findings Participant B Similar to Participant A, Participant B spoke English about seven hours per week. He used English to talk to his supervisor, who was a non-native speaker of English from Greece. He talked to her three times a week on average for 30 minutes. He shared a research lab with two Americans, but they were usually not in the lab since it was during summer break. Due to his busy schedule, he had little time for media, a good source of English input. It was his first time to learn English using computer and showed great interest in the TEAM program. Through TEAM instruction, he wanted to improve his pronunciation and wanted to become a certified ITA. Moreover, he wanted to practice conversational English and learn common expressions. Similar to Participant A, he had good CALP, but lacked BICS. The VARK survey results indicated that the participant had a very strong reading/writing preference; that is, he favored learning through displayed words. Since he did not have a strong preference for visual input, it was unclear whether he would benefit

13 Ah-Young Kim 23 from the TEAM program. The participant began with TEAM activities that he initially showed the most problems in according to EOPA results intonation and syllable stress. As he improved in the problematic areas, he gradually moved onto other activities. Similar to Participant A, he mispronounced the words that he had trouble listening to. He misperceived We had to prove that we had enough proof as We had to prove that we had no proof. Repeated listening did not help him to catch the word enough in the sentence. It could be that he was unaware of the following two rules: (1) In enough, the stress is on the second syllable, so the e is unstressed and quickly spoken. (2) Due to phrasing, the two words in enough proof are spoken continuously without much pause. Thus, the last consonant sound [f] in enough may not be clearly perceived due to the [p] sound in proof that follows. He also had severe problems in distinguishing between certain consonants: [l] and [r], [s] and [ ], [g] and [k]. Since the [r] sound does not exist in Korean, he often pronounced it as [l]. He also had difficulty discerning between [g] and [k] sound when it came at the end of a word. Although both sounds exist in Korean, the [k] sound does not come at the end of a word. During the oral interview, Participant B perceived that he made moderate improvement and gave himself a score of 3 (on a 1-5 scale) for overall improvement. He believed that his communicative proficiency showed improvement it became easier to make himself understood in English and his listening comprehension also improved. He praised the TEAM program to be very easy to follow, containing sufficient exercises. He identified its main strength as the visual display of speech. He liked the fact that he could record his own voice and compare it with the model sentence. In addition, he appreciated working with a tutor and receive additional feedback. For him, it was a wonderful opportunity to receive English instruction in a casual stress-free environment where he was not graded for performance. He believed that the time spent on the TEAM program directly led to improved pronunciation. Thus, he suggested at least of four hours of tutoring per week in the future. Analysis of speech sample ratings (both pre-test and post-test) indicated that the participant showed some improvement in suprasegmentals, but his segmentals did not show much change (refer to Table 3). This suggests that it is easier to enhance suprasegmentals than segmentals at a short training period. Although his segmentals were inaccurate, his speech was perceived to be comprehensible due to appropriate intonation

14 24 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation and rhythm. [Table 3] Analysis of Participant B s Speech Samples Suprasegmentals & Segmentals Intonation Rhythm Stress Consonant Vowel Pre-test Statements did not drop all the way in the end. The speed of speech was appropriate, but perhaps faster than he should be speaking, for he clipped off certain ending sounds, or omitted articles such as an and the. Key words and new words did not receive enough stress. There were numerous problems with consonants: [l]/[r], [s]/[ ] distinction; awkward [θ], [f] sounds; deletion of final plural s in viruses ; omitting [r] in largely and horrible A couple of vowels sounded inaccurate. a sounded too long in day, date, software. o in open was not long enough. Post-test There was some improvement, but the statements still did not drop all the way. The participant still sounded as if he was rushing and lacked pauses. There was a little overall improvement. However, some words received incorrect stress. There was not much improvement in consonants. Not much change. Due to inaccurate rhythm, long and short vowels were incorrectly pronounced. Moreover, Participant B demonstrated a small improvement in his oral proficiency in terms of native-like quality and fluency. As shown in Table 4, his performance in native-like quality improved from 2.25 to 2.75 points by.5 point (8%) on a 1-7 scale; his fluency enhanced from 2.5 to 2.75 points by.25 point (6%) on a 1-5 scale. [Table 4] Analysis of Participant B s Speech Samples Overall Proficiency Native-like quality (1-7 scale) Fluency (1-5 scale) pre-t post-t pre-t post-t Rater Rater Rater Rater Average

15 Ah-Young Kim 25 V. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION This study examined how TEAM instruction, a type of CALL, assisted ESL learners in improving their pronunciation. A detailed analysis revealed that individuals made different gains in pronunciation. Analysis of audio-taped speech samples revealed that both participants made some progress in suprasegmentals, native-like quality, and fluency. Participant A made noticeable improvement in all three areas, while Participant B made only a small advancement. There was overall less improvement in segmentals Participant A showed some minor improvement, whereas Participant B made no progress. In sum, improvement in intonation, rhythm, and stress the three major suprasegmentals led to overall enhancement of oral English proficiency in terms of native-like quality and fluency. During the oral interview, both participants responded that the visual display was the feature of the TEAM program that helped them most in enhancing their pronunciation. Due to the visual feedback, they were able to clearly understand how their speech deviated from native speaker s utterances. The TEAM program made them realize that their stressed syllables were not strong enough, statements did not fall all the way down, and yes/no questions were not raised high enough. The direct comparison between the model sentence and their speech helped them correct their pronunciation errors to become more native-like. The differences in improvement between the participants could be attributed to their learning preference. VARK survey indicated that Participant A was a multi-modal learner with visual, reading, and kinesthetic learning preference, whereas Participant B had a strong reading/writing learning preference. Due to Participant A s preference for visual mode of display, he may have benefitted more from the TEAM program. He probably noticed and processed the visual input more easily than Participant B. In fact, analysis of speech sample ratings indicated that Participant A gained more progress compared to Participant B. In the post-test of audio-taped speech sample, Participant A tried to speak with a better accent by often self-correcting himself. After receiving tutoring for a month, he mentioned that he became so self-conscious of his pronunciation that he felt more stressed when speaking in English. TEAM instruction may have raised his self-awareness of pronunciation, which led to constant self-monitoring of speech. Contrarily, Participant B read the script at a fast pace, ignoring his pronunciation errors. He seemed less conscious of his pronunciation compared to Participant A. This research was based on a case study of two participants. Therefore, it is difficult to generalize the findings. In addition, the audio-taped speech sample did not measure

16 26 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation spontaneous speech of the participants. Possibly, participants may perform differently in situations that require spontaneous speech. In the future, a similar study with more participants is suggested. Also, the current study was conducted for about two months. Thus, a longitudinal study may provide more insightful findings regarding the long-term effects of pronunciation instruction. Despite its shortcomings, this study was meaningful in that it attempted to assess participants progress in pronunciation both qualitatively and quantitatively. Moreover, it investigated the features of the TEAM program and learner variables that influenced pronunciation learning. REFERENCES Anderson-Hsieh, J. (1992). Using electronic visual feedback to teach suprasegmentals. System, 20, Anderson-Hsieh, J. (1994). Interpreting visual feedback on English suprasegmentals in computer assisted pronunciation instruction. CALICO Journal, 11(4), Boyle, J. P. (1987). Perspectives on stress and intonation in language learning. System, 15, Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin., J. M. (1996). Teaching pronunciation: A reference for teachers of English to speaking of other languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Chun, D. M. (1988). The neglected role of intonation in communicative competence and language proficiency. Modern Language Journal, 72, Chun, D. M. (1998). Signal analysis software for teaching discourse intonation. Language Learning & Technology, 2(1), de Bot, K. (1983). Visual feedback of intonation I: Effectiveness and induced practice behavior. Language and Speech, 26(4), de Bot, K., & Mailfer, K. (1982). The teaching of intonation: Fundamental research and classroom applications. TESOL Quarterly, 16, Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2005). Second language accent and pronunciation teaching: A research-based approach. TESOL Quarterly, 39, Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., & Wiebe, G. E. (1997). Pronunciation instruction for fossilized learners: Can it help? Applied Language Learning, 8, Derwing, T. M., Munro, M. J., & Wiebe, G. E. (1998). Evidence in favor of a broad framework for pronunciation instruction. Language Learning, 48,

17 Ah-Young Kim 27 Derwing, T. M., & Rossiter, M. J. (2003). The effects of pronunciation instruction on the accuracy, fluence, and complexity of L2 accented speech. Applied Language Learning, 13, Eskenazi, M. (1999). Using a computer in foreign language pronunciation training: What advantages? CALICO Journal, 16(3), Fleming, N. (2012). VARK: A guide to learning styles. Retrieved June 1, 2012, from the World Wide Web: Kang, O. (2010). Relative salience of suprasegmental features on judgments of L2 comprehensibility and accentedness. System, 38, McNerney, M., & Mendelsohn, D. (1987). Putting suprasegmentals in their place. TESL Talk, 17, Molholt, G., Lane, L., Tanner, J., & Fischer, L. (1988). Computer graphics in the language lab. THE journal, 15(6), Munro, M. J., & Derwing, T. M. (1995). Processing time, accent, and comprehensibility in the perception of native and foreign-accented speech. Language and Speech, 38, Neri, A., Cucchiarini, C., Strik, H., & Boves, L. (2002). The pedagogy-technology interface in computer assisted pronunciation training. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 15, Pennington, M. (1999). Computer-aided pronunciation pedagogy: Promise, limitation, directions. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 12, Richards, J. C., Platt, J., & Platt, H. (1992). Longman dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics. Harlow: Longman. Riney, T. J., Takagi, N., & Inutsuka, K. (2005). Phonetic parameters and perceptual judgments of accent in English by American and Japanese listeners. TESOL Quarterly, 39, Schwartz, A. (1996). Technology Enhanced Accent Modification (TEAM) for international teaching assistants (ITAs). Cleveland State Univ., OH. Dept. of Speech and Hearing. Tanner, M. W., & Landon, M. M. (2009). The effects of computer-assisted pronunciation readings on ESL learners use of pausing, stress, intonation, and overall comprehensibility. Language Learning & Technology, 13(3), Thomson, R. I. (2011). Computer assisted pronunciation training: Targeting second language vowel perception improves pronunciation. CALICO Journal, 28(3), van Els, T., & de Bot, K. (1987). The role of intonation in foreign accent. The Modern Language Journal, 71,

18 28 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation Wiersma, W. (2000). Research methods in education: An introduction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Wong, R. (1987). Teaching pronunciation: Focus on rhythm and intonation. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Rentice-Hall Regents.

19 Ah-Young Kim 29 APPENDIX 1. VARK Questionnaire You are about to give directions to a person who is standing with you. She is staying in a hotel in town and wants to visit your house later. She has a rental car. I would: draw a map on paper. tell her the directions. write down the directions (without a map) collect her from the hotel in a car. You are not sure whether a word should be spelled dependent or dependant. I would: look it up in the dictionary. see the word in my mind and choose by the way it looks sound it out in my mind. write both versions down on paper and choose one. You have just received a copy of your itinerary for a world trip. This is of interest to a friend. I would: Phone her immediately and tell her about it. send her a copy of the printed itinerary. show her on a map of the world. share what I plan to do at each place I visit. You are going to cook something as a special treat for your family. I would: cook something familiar without the need for instructions. Thumb through the cookbook looking for ideas from the pictures. refer to a specific cookbook where there is a good recipe. A group of tourists has been assigned to you to find out about wildlife reserves or parks. I would: drive them to a wildlife reserve or park. show them slides and photographs give them pamphlets or a book on wildlife reserves or parks. give them a talk on wildlife reserves or parks. You are about to purchase a new CD player. Other than price, what would most influence your decision? the salesperson telling you what you want to know.

20 30 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation reading the details about it. playing with the controls and listening to it. it looks really smart and fashionable. Recall a time in your life when you learned how to do something like playing a new board game. Try to avoid choosing a very physical skill, e.g. riding a bike. I learnt best by: visual clues pictures, diagrams, charts written instructions. listening to somebody explaining it. doing it or trying it. You have an eye problem. I would prefer that the doctor: Told me what was wrong. showed me a diagram of what was wrong. used a 3D model to show me what was wrong. You are about to learn to use a new program on a computer. I would: sit down at the keyboard and begin to experiment with the program s features. read the manual which comes with the program. telephone a friend and ask questions about it. You are staying in a hotel and have a rental car. You would like to visit friends whose address/location you do not know. I would like them to: draw me a map on paper. Tell me the directions. write down the directions (without a map). collect me from the hotel in their car. Apart from the price, what would most influence your decision to buy a particular textbook?: you have used a copy before. a friend talking about it. quickly reading parts of it. The way it looks is appealing. A new movie has arrived in town. What would most influence your decision to go (or not go)? I heard a radio review about it I read a review about it. I saw a preview of it.

21 Ah-Young Kim 31 Do you prefer a lecturer or teacher who likes to use: a textbook, handouts, readings flow diagrams, charts, graphs. field trips, labs, practical sessions. discussion, guest speakers. 2. Interview Questionnaire for Students Name: Major: Year in Program: Nationality: Age: Date of Arrival in the US: Type and Amount of English Input/Environment: - How much time do you spend speaking in English a day, a week? With whom? Expectation about TEAM Instruction - What was your expectation before beginning the tutoring sessions? - How do you now feel about studying English with the aid of a computer? Self-evaluation - How much progress do you think you ve made? (1) very little (2) a little (3) average (4) much (5) very much Can you be more specific? - What factor most influence your improvement? (e.g., expectation, attitude, motivation, effort, cultural background) - What factor most interfered with your improvement? - Do you think the tutoring sessions will be helpful in making you a better TA? If so, why? Comments and Suggestions for TEAM Instruction - How would you score the program overall? (1) very poor (2) poor (3) average (4) good (5) very good - What was good about the program?

22 32 Investigating the Effectiveness of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Improving Pronunciation - What was bad about the program? What kind of facility or support do you think the program lacked? - What kind of teaching method did you find to be the most useful? And why? - Do you think two hours/week was sufficient in improving your oral skills? If not, how many hour do you think is desirable? - Did you enjoy being tutored? If so, why? - Would you like to receive more tutoring in the future? If so, why? - Would you recommend this program to other students? If so, why? 3. Speech Sample Evaluation Please rate the speech samples focusing on the accent and comprehensibility of the speech. Try to evaluate the speech in detail by citing examples and by indicating the kind of pronunciation problems that the speaker seems to be experiencing. 1) Intonation (indicate whether the speaker uses correct intonation in sentence types such as statements and questions. A statement typically goes down at the end, whereas a yes/no question is raised towards the end). 2) Rhythm (indicate if the speaker is applying proper rhythm in speech. English is a stress-time language, while Korean and Japanese are syllable-timed languages). 3) Stress (indicate whether the speaker is stressing appropriately both at the word level and the sentence level. At the sentence level, the content words are stressed, while non-content words are not). 4) Consonants (indicate whether the speaker is properly pronouncing the consonants). 5) Vowels (indicate whether the speaker is properly pronouncing the vowels. Also check if stressed vowels are appropriately stressed and unstressed vowels, such as schwa, is unstressed). 6) Overall Native-like Quality of Speech Please circle how native the speaker sounds like on a 1-7 scale. 7 Clearly native speaker of English 6 Most likely native (accent barely noticeable) 5 probably native 4 cannot tell 3 probably foreign (slight foreign accent) 2 Most likely foreign (strong foreign accent, somewhat comprehensible) 1 Clearly foreign (strong foreign accent, incomprehensible)

23 Ah-Young Kim 33 7) Overall Fluency Please circle the overall fluency of the speaker on a 1-5 scale. 5 very fluent 4 quite fluent 3 somewhat fluent 2 lacks fluency 1 not fluent at all 8) Other Comments Key words: computer-assisted language learning, pronunciation instruction, case study, suprasegmentals Applicable levels: secondary level, college level Author: Kim, Ah-Young (Seoul National University); alicia.a.kim@gmail.com Received: August 15, 2012 Reviewed: September 15, 2012 Accepted: October 15, 2012

V.A.R.K. LEARNING STYLES TEST

V.A.R.K. LEARNING STYLES TEST V.A.R.K. LEARNING STYLES TEST This test is to find out something about your preferred learning method. Choose the answer that best explains your preference and circle the letter (V, A,R or K). 1. You are

More information

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING READING

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING READING Лю Пэн COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING READING Effective Elementary Reading Program Effective approach must contain the following five components: 1. Phonemic awareness instruction to help children learn

More information

Mother Tongue Influence on Spoken English

Mother Tongue Influence on Spoken English Mother Tongue Influence on Spoken English Shruti Pal Central Institute of Education (India) palshruti27@gmail.com Abstract Pronunciation is not a major problem in a language classroom until it hinders

More information

CAMBRIDGE FIRST CERTIFICATE Listening and Speaking NEW EDITION. Sue O Connell with Louise Hashemi

CAMBRIDGE FIRST CERTIFICATE Listening and Speaking NEW EDITION. Sue O Connell with Louise Hashemi CAMBRIDGE FIRST CERTIFICATE SKILLS Series Editor: Sue O Connell CAMBRIDGE FIRST CERTIFICATE Listening and Speaking NEW EDITION Sue O Connell with Louise Hashemi PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE

More information

Intonation difficulties in non-native languages.

Intonation difficulties in non-native languages. Intonation difficulties in non-native languages. Irma Rusadze Akaki Tsereteli State University, Assistant Professor, Kutaisi, Georgia Sopio Kipiani Akaki Tsereteli State University, Assistant Professor,

More information

How to teach listening 2012

How to teach listening 2012 How to teach listening skills "Great speakers are not born, they re trained." - Dale Carnegie (1921) Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) To enhance deeper understanding of the process of listening as a communicative

More information

5 Free Techniques for Better English Pronunciation

5 Free Techniques for Better English Pronunciation 5 Free Techniques for Better English Pronunciation Enhancing Communication Skills Enhancing Performance Judy Ravin, President The Accent Reduction Institute, LLC 410 N. 4th Ave. Ann Arbor, MI. 48104 734-665-2915

More information

Tracking translation process: The impact of experience and training

Tracking translation process: The impact of experience and training Tracking translation process: The impact of experience and training PINAR ARTAR Izmir University, Turkey Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain The translation process can be described through eye tracking.

More information

How Can Teachers Teach Listening?

How Can Teachers Teach Listening? 3 How Can Teachers Teach Listening? The research findings discussed in the previous chapter have several important implications for teachers. Although many aspects of the traditional listening classroom

More information

Pronunciation in English

Pronunciation in English The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language Pronunciation in English March 2013 Volume 16, Number 4 Title Level Publisher Type of product Minimum Hardware Requirements Software Requirements

More information

PTE Academic. Score Guide. November 2012. Version 4

PTE Academic. Score Guide. November 2012. Version 4 PTE Academic Score Guide November 2012 Version 4 PTE Academic Score Guide Copyright Pearson Education Ltd 2012. All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written

More information

How to Take Running Records

How to Take Running Records Running Records are taken to: guide teaching match readers to appropriate texts document growth overtime note strategies used group and regroup children for instruction How to Take Running Records (adapted

More information

Form: Filled in table. Method: Peer assessment. Tool: Checklist. Form: Completed table. Method: Peer assessment. Tool: Checklist

Form: Filled in table. Method: Peer assessment. Tool: Checklist. Form: Completed table. Method: Peer assessment. Tool: Checklist Lesson Plan English First Additional Language Grade 5 Content in context: Text from other Learning Area - Whether Los and ASs Learning Activities Details of Assessment Barriers to Learning LO 1 Listening

More information

An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Teaching Pronunciation to Malaysian TESL Students

An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Teaching Pronunciation to Malaysian TESL Students An Investigation of the Effectiveness of Teaching Pronunciation to Malaysian TESL Students By Joanne Rajadurai (Malaysia) Pronunciation has often been viewed as a skill in second language learning that

More information

Directions for Administering the Graded Passages

Directions for Administering the Graded Passages Directions for Administering the Graded Passages The versions (A D for grades 9 12; A and B for adult literacy students at grades 1 8) of Graded Passages are about different topics but similar in length

More information

Supporting English Language Learners Through Technology

Supporting English Language Learners Through Technology Supporting English Language Learners Through Technology SUMMARY English language learners benefit from the reinforcement of vocabulary and concepts through pictures, graphics and video. They also benefit

More information

APEC Online Consumer Checklist for English Language Programs

APEC Online Consumer Checklist for English Language Programs APEC Online Consumer Checklist for English Language Programs The APEC Online Consumer Checklist For English Language Programs will serve the training needs of government officials, businesspeople, students,

More information

The Role of Listening in Language Acquisition; the Challenges & Strategies in Teaching Listening

The Role of Listening in Language Acquisition; the Challenges & Strategies in Teaching Listening International Journal of Education and Information Studies. ISSN 2277-3169 Volume 4, Number 1 (2014), pp. 59-63 Research India Publications http://www.ripublication.com The Role of Listening in Language

More information

Hungarian teachers perceptions of dyslexic language learners

Hungarian teachers perceptions of dyslexic language learners Hungarian teachers perceptions of dyslexic language learners Judit Kormos and Edit Hegybíró Kontra Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Department of English Applied Linguistics Presented at the 31st International

More information

Rubrics for Assessing Student Writing, Listening, and Speaking High School

Rubrics for Assessing Student Writing, Listening, and Speaking High School Rubrics for Assessing Student Writing, Listening, and Speaking High School Copyright by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce the material contained herein

More information

Thai Language Self Assessment

Thai Language Self Assessment The following are can do statements in four skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Put a in front of each description that applies to your current Thai proficiency (.i.e. what you can do with

More information

CHARACTERISTICS FOR STUDENTS WITH: LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP)

CHARACTERISTICS FOR STUDENTS WITH: LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) CHARACTERISTICS FOR STUDENTS WITH: LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (LEP) Research has shown that students acquire a second language in the same way that they acquire the first language. It is an exploratory

More information

Communication Process

Communication Process Welcome and Introductions Lesson 7 Communication Process Overview: This lesson teaches learners to define the elements of effective communication and its process. It will focus on communication as the

More information

VAK Learning Styles Self-Assessment Questionnaire

VAK Learning Styles Self-Assessment Questionnaire Student Services Study Skills Student Development and Counselling VAK Learning Styles Self-Assessment Questionnaire Circle or tick the answer that most represents how you generally behave. (It s best to

More information

French Language and Culture. Curriculum Framework 2011 2012

French Language and Culture. Curriculum Framework 2011 2012 AP French Language and Culture Curriculum Framework 2011 2012 Contents (click on a topic to jump to that page) Introduction... 3 Structure of the Curriculum Framework...4 Learning Objectives and Achievement

More information

What Have I Learned In This Class?

What Have I Learned In This Class? xxx Lesson 26 Learning Skills Review What Have I Learned In This Class? Overview: The Learning Skills review focuses on what a learner has learned during Learning Skills. More importantly this lesson gives

More information

Modifying Curriculum and Instruction

Modifying Curriculum and Instruction Modifying Curriculum and Instruction Purpose of Modification: The purpose of modification is to enable an individual to compensate for intellectual, behavioral, or physical disabi1ities. Modifications

More information

Counting Money and Making Change Grade Two

Counting Money and Making Change Grade Two Ohio Standards Connection Number, Number Sense and Operations Benchmark D Determine the value of a collection of coins and dollar bills. Indicator 4 Represent and write the value of money using the sign

More information

Things to remember when transcribing speech

Things to remember when transcribing speech Notes and discussion Things to remember when transcribing speech David Crystal University of Reading Until the day comes when this journal is available in an audio or video format, we shall have to rely

More information

PRONUNCIATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS: AN ANALYSIS OF INTERNSHIP REPORTS

PRONUNCIATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF PRE-SERVICE EFL TEACHERS: AN ANALYSIS OF INTERNSHIP REPORTS , L. (2013). Pronunciation from the perspective of pre-service EFL teachers: An analysis of internship reports. In J. Levis & K. LeVelle (Eds.). Proceedings of the 4 th Pronunciation in Second Language

More information

A Guide to Cambridge English: Preliminary

A Guide to Cambridge English: Preliminary Cambridge English: Preliminary, also known as the Preliminary English Test (PET), is part of a comprehensive range of exams developed by Cambridge English Language Assessment. Cambridge English exams have

More information

To download the script for the listening go to: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/learning-stylesaudioscript.

To download the script for the listening go to: http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/learning-stylesaudioscript. Learning styles Topic: Idioms Aims: - To apply listening skills to an audio extract of non-native speakers - To raise awareness of personal learning styles - To provide concrete learning aids to enable

More information

xxx Lesson 19 how memory works and techniques to improve it, and (2) appreciate the importance of memory skills in education and in his or her life.

xxx Lesson 19 how memory works and techniques to improve it, and (2) appreciate the importance of memory skills in education and in his or her life. xxx Lesson 19 Memory Skills! Overview: This lesson provides a basic look at how our memory works and how it can be improved by using some simple techniques. Objectives: The objective of this lesson is

More information

How to become a successful language learner

How to become a successful language learner How to become a successful language learner By Alison Fenner English and German Co-ordinator, Institution Wide Language Programme Introduction Your success in learning a language depends on you! You may

More information

An Analysis of the Eleventh Grade Students Monitor Use in Speaking Performance based on Krashen s (1982) Monitor Hypothesis at SMAN 4 Jember

An Analysis of the Eleventh Grade Students Monitor Use in Speaking Performance based on Krashen s (1982) Monitor Hypothesis at SMAN 4 Jember 1 An Analysis of the Eleventh Grade Students Monitor Use in Speaking Performance based on Krashen s (1982) Monitor Hypothesis at SMAN 4 Jember Moh. Rofid Fikroni, Musli Ariani, Sugeng Ariyanto Language

More information

Grade 1 LA. 1. 1. 1. 1. Subject Grade Strand Standard Benchmark. Florida K-12 Reading and Language Arts Standards 27

Grade 1 LA. 1. 1. 1. 1. Subject Grade Strand Standard Benchmark. Florida K-12 Reading and Language Arts Standards 27 Grade 1 LA. 1. 1. 1. 1 Subject Grade Strand Standard Benchmark Florida K-12 Reading and Language Arts Standards 27 Grade 1: Reading Process Concepts of Print Standard: The student demonstrates knowledge

More information

Phonetic Perception and Pronunciation Difficulties of Russian Language (From a Canadian Perspective) Alyssa Marren

Phonetic Perception and Pronunciation Difficulties of Russian Language (From a Canadian Perspective) Alyssa Marren The Arbutus Review, Vol. 2, No. 1 (2011) 75 Phonetic Perception and Pronunciation Difficulties of Russian Language (From a Canadian Perspective) Alyssa Marren Abstract: This study looked at the most important

More information

Speaking for IELTS. About Speaking for IELTS. Vocabulary. Grammar. Pronunciation. Exam technique. English for Exams.

Speaking for IELTS. About Speaking for IELTS. Vocabulary. Grammar. Pronunciation. Exam technique. English for Exams. About Collins series has been designed to be easy to use, whether by learners studying at home on their own or in a classroom with a teacher: Instructions are easy to follow Exercises are carefully arranged

More information

The National Reading Panel: Five Components of Reading Instruction Frequently Asked Questions

The National Reading Panel: Five Components of Reading Instruction Frequently Asked Questions The National Reading Panel: Five Components of Reading Instruction Frequently Asked Questions Phonemic Awareness What is a phoneme? A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in a word. For example, the word

More information

PTE Academic Recommended Resources

PTE Academic Recommended Resources PTE Academic Recommended Resources Language Leader Pre-Intermediate Pearson Longman, 2008 April 2012 V2 Pearson Education Ltd 2012. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission

More information

Information for teachers about online TOEIC Listening and Reading practice tests from

Information for teachers about online TOEIC Listening and Reading practice tests from oxford english testing.com Information for teachers about online TOEIC Listening and Reading practice tests from www.oxford english testing.com oxford english testing.com What do the online TOEIC Listening

More information

A Pilot Study of Some ROCMA Cadets Difficulties in English Speaking

A Pilot Study of Some ROCMA Cadets Difficulties in English Speaking WHAMPOA - An Interdisciplinary Journal 57(2009) 119-126 119 A Pilot Study of Some ROCMA Cadets Difficulties in English Speaking Wain-Chin Dana Chen 1 1 Department of Foreign Languages, ROC Military Academy

More information

How to Plan and Guide In Class Peer Review Sessions

How to Plan and Guide In Class Peer Review Sessions How to Plan and Guide In Class Peer Review Sessions Incorporating peer review into your course can help your students become better writers, readers, and collaborators. However, peer review must be planned

More information

stress, intonation and pauses and pronounce English sounds correctly. (b) To speak accurately to the listener(s) about one s thoughts and feelings,

stress, intonation and pauses and pronounce English sounds correctly. (b) To speak accurately to the listener(s) about one s thoughts and feelings, Section 9 Foreign Languages I. OVERALL OBJECTIVE To develop students basic communication abilities such as listening, speaking, reading and writing, deepening their understanding of language and culture

More information

TYPES OF LEARNERS. Visual Learners. Auditory Learners

TYPES OF LEARNERS. Visual Learners. Auditory Learners utilize a variety of teaching modalities, such as small group process, lecture, and experiential activities be flexible and meet each learner s needs provide information that will overlap with information

More information

Improving ESL Learners Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond

Improving ESL Learners Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond Improving ESL Learners Listening Skills: At the Workplace and Beyond Carol Van Dozer Center for Applied Linguistics February 1997 Listening is a critical element in the competent language performance of

More information

Giving a great workplace presentation

Giving a great workplace presentation Giving a great workplace presentation Cara PENRY WILLIAMS 1 WORKPLACE PRESENTATIONS Could include: Formal presentations to a small or large group to colleagues and managers or to clients Group presentations

More information

The Impact of Using Technology in Teaching English as a Second Language

The Impact of Using Technology in Teaching English as a Second Language English Language and Literature Studies; Vol. 3, No. 1; 2013 ISSN 1925-4768 E-ISSN 1925-4776 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education The Impact of Using Technology in Teaching English as

More information

Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FAPI)

Functional Auditory Performance Indicators (FAPI) Functional Performance Indicators (FAPI) An Integrated Approach to Skill FAPI Overview The Functional (FAPI) assesses the functional auditory skills of children with hearing loss. It can be used by parents,

More information

Language, Learning, and Content Instruction

Language, Learning, and Content Instruction CHAPTER 2 Language, Learning, and Content Instruction WHAT DO YOU KNOW WHEN YOU KNOW A LANGUAGE? Have you ever thought about what you know when you know a language? Most people s first reaction is to say,

More information

International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2013, 3(12): 2469-2476. International Journal of Asian Social Science

International Journal of Asian Social Science, 2013, 3(12): 2469-2476. International Journal of Asian Social Science International Journal of Asian Social Science ISSN(e): 2224-4441/ISSN(p): 2226-5139 journal homepage: http://www.aessweb.com/journal-detail.php?id=5007 THE EFFECT OF USING GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION METHOD ON

More information

Parent Education Activities

Parent Education Activities PART III: PARENT EDUCATION Parent education sessions need to be planned and should follow a similar sequence each time. The suggested sequence is listed here and is explained later in this article. Also,

More information

Local Government and Leaders Grade Three

Local Government and Leaders Grade Three Ohio Standards Connection: Government Benchmark A Identify the responsibilities of the branches of the U.S. government and explain why they are necessary. Indicator 2 Explain the structure of local governments

More information

Office Phone/E-mail: 963-1598 / lix@cwu.edu Office Hours: MW 3:50-4:50, TR 12:00-12:30

Office Phone/E-mail: 963-1598 / lix@cwu.edu Office Hours: MW 3:50-4:50, TR 12:00-12:30 ENG 432/532: Phonetics and Phonology (Fall 2010) Course credits: Four (4) Time/classroom: MW2:00-3:40 p.m./ LL243 Instructor: Charles X. Li, Ph.D. Office location: LL403H Office Phone/E-mail: 963-1598

More information

Comparative Analysis on the Armenian and Korean Languages

Comparative Analysis on the Armenian and Korean Languages Comparative Analysis on the Armenian and Korean Languages Syuzanna Mejlumyan Yerevan State Linguistic University Abstract It has been five years since the Korean language has been taught at Yerevan State

More information

Enhancing Technology College Students English Listening Comprehension by Listening Journals

Enhancing Technology College Students English Listening Comprehension by Listening Journals Enhancing Technology College Students English Listening Comprehension by Listening Journals Jung-chuan Chen* Department of Applied Foreign Languages, Nanya Institute of Technology Chung-Li, Taiwan, 32034

More information

Collaborative Learning & Peer Reviews in Special Education Action Research

Collaborative Learning & Peer Reviews in Special Education Action Research Collaborative Learning & Peer Reviews in Special Education Action Research Rachael Hanson EDUC 480 December 12, 2006 Area of Focus Special education classrooms often do not resemble typical classrooms.

More information

Alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the Common Core State Standards

Alignment of the National Standards for Learning Languages with the Common Core State Standards Alignment of the National with the Common Core State Standards Performance Expectations The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science,

More information

VAK Learning Styles. Whether you realise it or not, we all have preferences for how we absorb information, analyse it and make decisions:

VAK Learning Styles. Whether you realise it or not, we all have preferences for how we absorb information, analyse it and make decisions: What is Your Learning Preference? VAK Learning Styles Whether you realise it or not, we all have preferences for how we absorb information, analyse it and make decisions: Some people like to see what you

More information

Promoting Learner Autonomy and Language Awareness Through Blogging

Promoting Learner Autonomy and Language Awareness Through Blogging Promoting Learner Autonomy and Language Awareness Through Blogging Paul Dickinson Abstract The benefits of learner Weblogs, or blogs as they are more commonly known, have been reported in various educational

More information

Using Adult Education Principles to Provide Professional Development for the Foundations of Inclusion

Using Adult Education Principles to Provide Professional Development for the Foundations of Inclusion Using Adult Education Principles to Provide Professional Development for the Foundations of Inclusion Based on principles and research on adult learning and inclusion, this professional development (PD)

More information

Financial Literacy and ESOL

Financial Literacy and ESOL Financial Literacy and ESOL Financial Literacy and ESOL There are more and more resources available for delivering LLN in the context of finance but most of them are focused on working with learners whose

More information

TELT March 2014 Exa miners Report

TELT March 2014 Exa miners Report TELT March 2014 Exa miners Report 1. Introduction 101 candidates sat for the TELT March 2014 examination session. 53 candidates were awarded Pass grades or higher. This is the equivalent to 52.5 % pass

More information

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present the results of my action research which was conducted in several 7 th /8 th grade language arts

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present the results of my action research which was conducted in several 7 th /8 th grade language arts Abstract The purpose of this paper is to present the results of my action research which was conducted in several 7 th /8 th grade language arts class periods in a Spanish immersion program over a two

More information

To answer the secondary question, if hands-on activities would increase student interest and comprehension, several hands-on activities were used:

To answer the secondary question, if hands-on activities would increase student interest and comprehension, several hands-on activities were used: 1 The Effect of an Overarching Topic on Student Performance in Algebra II Christine Consoletti and David Collins J.E.B. Stuart High School Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools June 2003 Question Does an

More information

The Brain, Prosody, and Reading Fluency

The Brain, Prosody, and Reading Fluency (Published in the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET), The Practical Teacher, February 2011) INTRODUCTION The Brain, Prosody, and Reading Fluency Matthew J. Glavach, Ph.D. The good

More information

Maryland 4-H Public Speaking Guide

Maryland 4-H Public Speaking Guide Maryland 4-H Public Speaking Guide Thomas Hutson, 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator Maryland Cooperative Extension Talbot County Equal access/opportunity programs 1 Talbot County 2 3 4 5 6 7 4-H

More information

Cambridge English: Advanced Speaking Sample test with examiner s comments

Cambridge English: Advanced Speaking Sample test with examiner s comments Speaking Sample test with examiner s comments This document will help you familiarise yourself with the Speaking test for Cambridge English: Advanced, also known as Certificate in Advanced English (CAE).

More information

What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?

What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners? Jan/Feb 2007 What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners? By Suzanne Irujo, ELL Outlook Contributing Writer As a classroom teacher, I was largely ignorant of, and definitely

More information

Administering and Scoring of the Oral Reading Fluency and Maze Tests

Administering and Scoring of the Oral Reading Fluency and Maze Tests Administering and Scoring of the Oral Reading Fluency and Maze Tests Path Driver for Reading uses two forms of curriculum-based measurements (CBMs) to monitor student reading development oral reading fluency

More information

English Syllabus for Grades 1-4. Desktop/ Files Returned by Experts August 2008 / English cover, content & introduction Grades 1-4 cv2

English Syllabus for Grades 1-4. Desktop/ Files Returned by Experts August 2008 / English cover, content & introduction Grades 1-4 cv2 Desktop/ Files Returned by Experts August 2008 / English cover, content & introduction Grades 1-4 cv2 Table of Contents Rationale... Topic flow charts for Grades 1-4... Minimum Learning Competencies for

More information

Ten Strategies to Encourage Academic Integrity in Large Lecture Classes

Ten Strategies to Encourage Academic Integrity in Large Lecture Classes Ten Strategies to Encourage Academic Integrity in Large Lecture Classes Brian Udermann and Karrie Lamers Introduction Academic integrity has been and continues to be a lively topic of discussion on most

More information

A Writer s Workshop: Working in the Middle from Jennifer Alex, NNWP Consultant

A Writer s Workshop: Working in the Middle from Jennifer Alex, NNWP Consultant Structure of a Workshop: A Writer s Workshop: Working in the Middle from Jennifer Alex, NNWP Consultant For the last four years, writing and reading workshops have been the foundation of my classroom practice.

More information

BBC Learning English - Talk about English July 11, 2005

BBC Learning English - Talk about English July 11, 2005 BBC Learning English - July 11, 2005 About this script Please note that this is not a word for word transcript of the programme as broadcast. In the recording and editing process changes may have been

More information

Strand: Reading Literature Topics Standard I can statements Vocabulary Key Ideas and Details

Strand: Reading Literature Topics Standard I can statements Vocabulary Key Ideas and Details Strand: Reading Literature Key Ideas and Details Craft and Structure RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

More information

240Tutoring Reading Comprehension Study Material

240Tutoring Reading Comprehension Study Material 240Tutoring Reading Comprehension Study Material This information is a sample of the instructional content and practice questions found on the 240Tutoring PRAXIS II Middle School English Language Arts

More information

PTE Academic Recommended Resources

PTE Academic Recommended Resources PTE Academic Recommended Resources Language Leader Intermediate Pearson Longman, 2008 April 2012 V2 Pearson Education Ltd 2012. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior permission

More information

Five High Order Thinking Skills

Five High Order Thinking Skills Five High Order Introduction The high technology like computers and calculators has profoundly changed the world of mathematics education. It is not only what aspects of mathematics are essential for learning,

More information

Intensive Language Study: Beginning Vietnamese VIET 1000-1500 (3 credits / 45 class hours)

Intensive Language Study: Beginning Vietnamese VIET 1000-1500 (3 credits / 45 class hours) Intensive Language Study: Beginning Vietnamese VIET 1000-1500 (3 credits / 45 class hours) SIT Study Abroad Program: Vietnam: Culture, Social Change and Development PLEASE NOTE: This syllabus represents

More information

TEACHER NOTES. For information about how to buy the guide, visit www.pearsonpte.com/prepare

TEACHER NOTES. For information about how to buy the guide, visit www.pearsonpte.com/prepare TEACHER NOTES The Official Guide contains: information about the format of PTE Academic authentic test questions to practise answering sample responses and explanations test taking strategies over 200

More information

Grade 8 English Language Arts 90 Reading and Responding, Lesson 9

Grade 8 English Language Arts 90 Reading and Responding, Lesson 9 GRADE 8 English Language Arts Reading and Responding: Lesson 9 Read aloud to the students the material that is printed in boldface type inside the boxes. Information in regular type inside the boxes and

More information

NFL Quarterback Bernie Kosar told

NFL Quarterback Bernie Kosar told RESEARCH PAPER VOLUME 1 Why It Is Important to Teach Phonemic Awareness and Alphabet Recognition by Dr. Cathy Collins Block Professor of Education Texas Christian University NFL Quarterback Bernie Kosar

More information

How to prepare for IELTS Speaking

How to prepare for IELTS Speaking Contents Page Details of the speaking test 3 Part 1 5 Part 2 7 Part 3 11 General tips for speaking 15 Make sure you have a copy of the How to prepare for IELTS FAQs booklet in addition to this booklet.

More information

Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) Annual Report for Assessment of Outcomes 2012-2013

Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) Annual Report for Assessment of Outcomes 2012-2013 Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) Annual Report for Assessment of Outcomes 2012-2013 Subject Area Committee Name: Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) Contact Person: Sanda Williams, SAC Chair

More information

READING THE NEWSPAPER

READING THE NEWSPAPER READING THE NEWSPAPER Outcome (lesson objective) Students will comprehend and critically evaluate text as they read to find the main idea. They will construct meaning as they analyze news articles and

More information

Task-Teach-Task Sample Lesson

Task-Teach-Task Sample Lesson Task-Teach-Task Sample Lesson Lesson Title: Getting to Know One Another Communicative Goal(s): Introducing yourself; Asking/answering questions to learn more about someone. Objective(s): Students will

More information

COMPREHENSIBILITY AND PROSODY RATINGS FOR PRONUNCIATION SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

COMPREHENSIBILITY AND PROSODY RATINGS FOR PRONUNCIATION SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Language Learning & Technology http://llt.msu.edu/vol13num3/warrenelgortcrabbe.pdf October 2009, Volume 13, Number 3 pp. 87 102 COMPREHENSIBILITY AND PROSODY RATINGS FOR PRONUNCIATION SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

More information

ACRONYMS & TERMS RELATED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

ACRONYMS & TERMS RELATED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ACRONYMS & TERMS RELATED TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS Academic Language ACCESS for ELLs Accommodations Additive Bilingualism Language used in the learning of academic subject matter in formal schooling

More information

Learning Styles. The VARK Categories. What is a Learning Style?

Learning Styles. The VARK Categories. What is a Learning Style? Learning Styles What is a Learning Style? Learning styles focus on how your brain receives information. No one else learns or processes information exactly the way you do! If you discover how you process

More information

Lesson Plan for Note Taking

Lesson Plan for Note Taking Lesson Plan for Note Taking Goals: To prepare students to take pertinent notes form lecture, books and activities. Expose students to different styles of note-taking. Give students an opportunity to practice

More information

Comparison of the Cambridge Exams main suite, IELTS and TOEFL

Comparison of the Cambridge Exams main suite, IELTS and TOEFL Comparison of the Cambridge Exams main suite, IELTS and TOEFL This guide is intended to help teachers and consultants advise students on which exam to take by making a side-by-side comparison. Before getting

More information

Study Circle on Teaching Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation

Study Circle on Teaching Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation IV-D. Study Circle on Teaching Listening, Speaking, and Pronunciation Table of Contents 3 Introduction... 3 Session 1: Preparation... 4 Session 2: Preparation... 10 Session 3... 14 Readings... 16 Improving

More information

Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocker.com:

Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocker.com: Practical, comprehensible ESL workshops centered on the adult ELL learner. The ESL Teachers Workshop Modules Buy The Complete Version of This Book at Booklocker.com: http://www.booklocker.com/p/books/4783.html?s=pdf

More information

Pasadena City College / ESL Program / Oral Skills Classes / Rubrics (1/10)

Pasadena City College / ESL Program / Oral Skills Classes / Rubrics (1/10) Pronunciation Classes Pasadena City College / ESL Program / Oral Skills Classes / Rubrics (1/10) ESL 246 SLO #1: Students will recognize and begin to produce correct American-English patterns in short

More information

Working towards TKT Module 1

Working towards TKT Module 1 Working towards TKT Module 1 EMC/7032c/0Y09 *4682841505* TKT quiz 1) How many Modules are there? 2) What is the minimum language level for TKT? 3) How many questions are there in each Module? 4) How long

More information

LANG 557 Capstone Paper . Purpose: Format: Content: introduction view of language

LANG 557 Capstone Paper . Purpose: Format: Content: introduction view of language Masters of Science in Curriculum & Instruction Special Education Emphasis Alignment of Summative Assessments to InTASC Standards The Courses in the TESL Emphasis are aligned to MN Board of Teaching Standards

More information

Pronunciation views and practices of reluctant teachers

Pronunciation views and practices of reluctant teachers Pronunciation views and practices of reluctant teachers SHEM MACDONALD La Trobe University ABSTRACT Why don t some teachers of English as a Second Language (ESL) teach pronunciation? There is evidence

More information

Jack s Dyslexia Index indicates he has dyslexic difficulties that are mild in extent.

Jack s Dyslexia Index indicates he has dyslexic difficulties that are mild in extent. Dyslexia Portfolio Report for Jack Jones Assessed by Sue Thompson on 05/08/2009 Report for parents When a child is identified as dyslexic, additional support will be needed from both school and home to

More information

SI Coordinator Handbook. Information, Resources and Forms

SI Coordinator Handbook. Information, Resources and Forms SI Coordinator Handbook Information, Resources and Forms Updated November 2010 1 2 Table of Contents SI Coordinator Job Description... 5 Observations and Evaluations... 9 Initial Contacts... 10 Informal

More information

Comparison of Computer Assisted Language Learning Software before Investment Dinçer Biçer [1], Ramazan Şükrü Parmaksız[2]

Comparison of Computer Assisted Language Learning Software before Investment Dinçer Biçer [1], Ramazan Şükrü Parmaksız[2] Comparison of Computer Assisted Language Learning Software before Investment Dinçer Biçer [1], Ramazan Şükrü Parmaksız[2] [1] Bülent Ecevit University Email: dincer.bicer@gmail.com [2] Bülent Ecevit University

More information