Title: Can a Multimedia Educational Website Enhance Phonetic Training? Benefits, Challenges and Learners’ Perceptions
Stream: Foreign Languages Education & Applied Linguistics (including ESL/TESL/TEFL)
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
María de los Ángeles Gómez González, University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Alfonso Lago Ferreiro, University of Vigo, Spain
Abstract:
Prior research has established that phonetics and pronunciation have been marginalized within applied linguistics and in regular language teaching, proving to be particularly challenging for learners in EFL contexts. This paper presents EPSS Multimedia Lab (EPSSML), a multimedia e-learning platform designed within Mayer’s (2009) Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning to upskill the phonetic and pronunciation competence in English of L2 and L3 learners. In addition to contrasting the uniqueness of EPSSML based on a survey with 76 EFL/phonetics instructors, we examined its efficiency as an educational tool as well as the students’ perceptions of it, in compliance with Clark’s (2009) framework. The scores obtained by 504 Spanish EFL learners in an obligatory phonetics and phonology course in an English degree were analysed comparing performance before and after EPSSML-assisted instruction. In addition, online questionnaires were administered to 127 Spanish phonetics students that used EPSSML in their training to test their perceptions of the tool. The analysis of rated results showed that there was a significant difference between the means of scores of those learners that used and those that did not use the application. Experimental results also revealed that 83% of the students enjoyed and were very interested in EPSSML. These findings demonstrate the importance of web-assisted learning as an educational resource facilitating blended and flipped methodologies. The advantages and challenges involved in phonetic and pronunciation training in digital environments are also discussed.
Conference Comments & Feedback
Place a comment using your LinkedIn profileShare this Presentation
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress