ENHANCING PRONUNCIATION SKILL IN ESL LEARNERS THROUGH SPEECHLING: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY USING CALL/MALL

Abstract

Pronunciation plays a pivotal role in Second Language Acquisition (SLT) as SLT relies on it. Applications like Mobile-assisted Language Learning (MALL) or Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) made the daunting task of pronunciation easier for the learners through the advancement in technology. This study attempted to examine the effectiveness of Speechling application in helping Pakistani ESL students to enhance their pronunciation. To this effect, a total of 20 participants were selected from the National University of Technology (NUTECH) to conduct this study. The participants were divided into control and experimental groups, ten in each group. Learners were examined for four consecutive weeks while focusing on teaching pronunciation to the control group via traditional method and to the experimental group through the use of Speechling application. Mixed method approach is implied in the attempted study, collecting the data from the opted participants via pretests and post-tests. Significant improvements in pronunciation were found which were collected through tests and interviews from both the groups. The collected data and the learners’ performance reflected that the Speechling application helped the learners of the experimental group a lot in enhancing pronunciation. To record and review the learners’ speech feature in Speechling application was applauded by the participants and found it beneficial for further enhancing their pronunciation. Though some features like free coaching, feedback and practicing more words on daily basis needed to be free for the learners. However, overall the findings supported the use of the mobile Speechling application in improving pronunciation acquisition process, particularly in a distance learning context.