The Effectiveness of Video-Based Shadowing and Tracking Pronunciation Exercises for Foreign Language Learners
ARTICLE
Rob Martinsen, Cherice Montgomery, Véronique Willardson
Foreign Language Annals Volume 50, Number 4, ISSN 0015-718X
Abstract
This exploratory classroom study investigated the effects of two video-assisted pronunciation interventions on the French pronunciation of 12 males and 7 females (n = 19) enrolled in a fourth-year high school French class. Interventions occurred three times per week over a semester and required participants to repeat what they heard while watching subtitled, cultural videos in French--both during class and in self-directed computer-lab exercises. Researchers assessed the improvement in pronunciation performance using pre- and posttests consisting of both read-aloud and oral free response tasks. Statistically significant improvements were observed on both tasks, with the most striking on the read-aloud task. Participants' perceptions of interventions were also examined using both qualitative and quantitative surveys, which indicated that students appreciated the authenticity and learning autonomy of the self-directed exercises. Findings suggest that distributed practice through culturally contextualized, video-based interventions may offer an engaging way to incorporate explicit pronunciation instruction into the high school classroom.
Citation
Martinsen, R., Montgomery, C. & Willardson, V. (2017). The Effectiveness of Video-Based Shadowing and Tracking Pronunciation Exercises for Foreign Language Learners. Foreign Language Annals, 50(4), 661-680. Retrieved February 28, 2021 from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/192225/.

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Keywords
- cultural awareness
- French
- High School Students
- Intervention
- Observation
- Oral Reading
- Pretests Posttests
- Pronunciation
- Qualitative Research
- Second Language Instruction
- Speech Communication
- Statistical Analysis
- student attitudes
- Student Surveys
- teaching methods
- Technology Uses in Education
- Video Technology