Web-based pronunciation training and learning consonant clusters among EFL learners

Arab learners of English often face challenges when it comes to correctly pronouncing English consonant clusters. To address these difficulties, technology-driven methods can be employed to enhance the acquisition of proper English consonant cluster pronunciation. This research endeavor aimed to ass...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta Psychologica
Main Authors: Yasser Alsuhaibani, Hassan Saleh Mahdi, Ahmed Al khateeb, Hind Abdulaziz Al Fadda, Hisham Alkadi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2024-09-01
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0001691824003366
Description
Summary:Arab learners of English often face challenges when it comes to correctly pronouncing English consonant clusters. To address these difficulties, technology-driven methods can be employed to enhance the acquisition of proper English consonant cluster pronunciation. This research endeavor aimed to assess the impact of web-based pronunciation training on the articulation of consonant clusters. The research followed an experimental design, involving fifty-eight Saudi learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) who were enrolled at a public university in Saudi Arabia. These participants were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group received a list of words containing consonant clusters to practice using YouGlish as a resource. Meanwhile, the control group was instructed to listen to the instructor's pronunciation and then practice producing the words with consonant clusters. The outcomes demonstrated a significant improvement in the production of words with consonant clusters among the experimental group, attributed to the utilization of web-based pronunciation training. These findings hold promise for the field of language learning, highlighting the effectiveness of web-based pronunciation training as a valuable tool for teaching second language pronunciation.
ISSN:0001-6918