Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of on-line video-assisted pronunciation exercises in beginning level classes of foreign-language learning. A review of the current literature on pronunciation is presented, followed by a description of a study used to test the effectiveness of computer-based exercises in improving pronunciation. The participants were a group of high school students that were members of a fourth year French class. As part of their regular class time, the students participated in two types of exercises, in-class group work and computer-lab self-directed exercises, in which the students watched videos with subtitles while repeating what they heard. Satisfaction with the program was determined by collecting feedback from the students using qualitative and quantitative surveys. The students found the videos interesting and appreciated the learning autonomy provided by the self-directed exercises. Improvement was assessed by comparing performance on pre- and post-tests measuring both free response and reading pronunciation. Significant improvements were observed in both categories, but the improvements in reading pronunciation were most striking. The results demonstrate that computer-based exercises can be engaging and effective in teaching French pronunciation, and can be readily incorporated into the high school classroom.

Degree

MA

College and Department

Humanities; Center for Language Studies

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2014-12-01

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd7364

Keywords

communicative approach, pronunciation, computer-assisted language instruction, early foreign language learners

Language

english

Download

Share

COinS