study of the effects of self voice recording on speaking speed, word stress accuracy and pronunciation accuracy

1 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP This work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university To the best of my knowledge and belief, the thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself Date: 31/ 07/ 2017 Signature Nguyen Thi To Hang ABSTRACT This study was conducted to explore how self-voice recording influences EFL students’ speaking ability In the experiment, two groups were following the usual English program at university while the treatment group did self-voice recording as a supplementary activity A general English test, pre-test and post-test were administered to evaluate the participants’ English proficiency, speaking fluency and accuracy The results indicated that the use of self-voice recording can facilitate the participants’ speaking ability development The treatment group not only significantly improved accuracy in pronunciation and word stress but also remarkably increased speaking speed Based on the findings, implications for teaching and learning the speaking skill and suggestions for the future research were also proposed ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been fortunate to receive invaluable help from many people during my assignment First, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, my supervisor, for his immense encouragement, whole hearted and detailed guidance, without which the assignment could not have been completed I would like to thank all the teachers who have taught me during the course and have given me useful advice and favorable conditions for the completion of the thesis I also would like to show my special thanks to my students who help me a lot in giving their invaluable comments, efforts and contributions while the work of this assignment was in progress Last but not least, I also owe my indebtedness to my family and colleagues for their kind co-operation and encouragement which help me in completion of this study Nghe An, July 2017 TABLE OF CONTENT 2.3.3.1 1.4 1.5 Fluency-oriented activities 1.6 Table 2.1: An Analytic rubric example for speaking 1.7 Table 2.2: A Holistic rubric example for a research paper 1.8 Table 2.2: A Holistic rubric example for a research paper 1.9 Table 3.1: Demographic information of participants 1.10 Table 4.1: The treatment and control group’s Score in general English test 1.11 Table 4.2: The average total scores and standard deviations of general English test 1.12 in the experimental group and the control group 1.13 Table 4.3: Means and standard deviations of eight sessions in the treatment group Table 4.4: Means and standard deviations of the first and the last session in the treatment group 1.14 Table 4.5: Increases in the treatment group 1.15 Table 4.6: Summary of the increase levels of all participants 1.16 Table 4.7: Means and standard deviations of participants in eight sessions 1.17 Table 4.8: Number of participants for different change patterns 1.18 Table 4.9: Means and standard deviations of word stress errors in eight sessions for 1.19 the treatment group 1.20 Table 4.9: Decreases in word stress errors in the treatment group 1.21 Table 4.10: Means and standard deviations of pronunciation errors for the treatment 1.22 group 1.23 Table 4.11: Decreases in pronunciation errors in the treatment group Table 4.12.: Means and standard deviation of pre-test results for both groups Table 4.13: Means and standard deviations of post test results of both groups Table 4.14: Means and standard deviations of speaking fluency of the pre-test and the post-test of both groups 1.24 Table 4.15: Means and standard deviations of speaking accuracy of the pre-test and the post-test of both groups 1.25 Table 4.16: Means and standard deviations of pronunciation errors of the pre-test and the post-test of both groups 1.26 Figure 4.1: The results of general English test of both groups 1.27 Figure 4.2: Progress chart of participant A8/decrease 1.28 Figure 4.3: Progress chart of participant A7/increase 1.29 Figure 4.4 Progress chart of participant B5/ fluctuated increase 1.30 Figure 4.5 Progress chart of participant A3/ gradual increase 1.31 Figure 4.6 Progress chart of participant A15/ mixed increase 1.32 Figure 4.6: Number of participants in word stress error decrease 1.33 Figure 4.7: Number of participants in pronunciation error decrease 1.34 Figure 4.8: A comparison of speaking speed between the control and the 1.35 experimental group 1.36 Figure 4.9: Numbers of participants in speaking speed groups in both groups Figure 4.10: A comparison of speaking speed between the control and the experimental group 1.37 Figure 4.11: Numbers of participants in speaking speed groups in both groups Figure 4.12: The improvement in speaking speed of the control group and the treatment 1.38 Figure 4.13: Decreases in word stress errors of the treatment group and the control group Figure 4.14: Means of word stress errors in the pre test and post test of both groups 1.39 Figure 4.15: Decreases in pronunciation errors of both groups 1.40 Figure 4.16: Means of pronunciation errors in the pre test and post test of both 1.41 groups CHAPTER INTRODUCTION 1.42 1.1 Introduction 1.43 The speaking skill is viewed as the most substantial part of an EFL course The growing need for international communication in the information age has led many language learners to explore a lot of ways to improve their speaking ability This may explain the use of self-voice recording to help students improve their speaking ability A lot of studies have shown the positive effects of technology such mobile phone, podcasts or voice thread but there has not been any research on whether EFL learners use voice recording as a supplementary activity will help to improve their speaking ability and what effects it will have on the aspects of speaking performance such as accuracy and fluency 1.44 The thesis explores the effects of using self-voice recording on improving speaking ability for students at Vinh university A group of second-year students taking part in this study made two recordings a week Firstly, the thesis examined the improvement of speaking accuracy in pronunciation and word stress Secondly, the effects of self-voice recording on fluency were also studied Accuracy in speaking was measured by the number of errors of pronunciation and word stress per 100 words, and speaking rate was measured by calculating the number of words per minute 1.2 Rationale 1.45 Speaking seems to be the most important skills of all the four skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing) because people who know a language are usually referred to as speakers of that language (Ur, 1996) Knowing a language is not merely knowing the grammatical rules but also knowing when to say what and to whom, that is knowledge of how the system is put to use in the performing of social actions of different kinds Accuracy and fluency are the two factors which determine the success of English language students in the future However, not all -7- 1.46 language learners after many years studying English can communicate fluently and accurately because they lack necessary knowledge Despite teachers’ efforts to provide students with opportunities to develop their communicative skills, how to teach and learn speaking skills effectively is still a challenging question to many teachers and students It is seen that most Vietnamese learners cannot speak English fluently because they have paid more attention to learn grammar without emphasizing the spontaneous language It is a fact that most students learn grammatical rules very well but fail to speak fluently and accurately 1.47 On the other hand, according to Warschauer (1996), the learners acquire how to use different technological tools within the normal process of language learning, rather than visiting the computer lab on a once a week basis as different exercises Especially the new generation is growing up with technology and gets familiar with it According to Wang (2005), there are many advantages integrating technology in classrooms especially for EFL students First, using technology in classrooms also makes the lesson more efficient Second, there are many technology tools which can be used in the ESL classes to improve foreign students’ English skills Although the benefits of using these tools to improve students’ foreign language skills, which are reading and writing skills, have been proven by many researchers, due to the text- based nature of the technological tools, the students’ listening and speaking skills are not influenced much Audio technologies which can provide students with more opportunities to practice speaking and listening skills are in need 1.48 Lord (2008) and Brown (2012), who used voice recordings and selfassessment in an ESL context, both found that there was an improvement in students’ performances, but the factors that contributed to the change in pronunciation remains unclear Dlaska and Krekeler (2008) also addressed this issue and conducted research in which they compared the self-ratings of advanced German learners with ratings given by native German speakers This indicates that the learners were critical in the self-assessment of their own pronunciation, but 1.49 could not necessarily recognize their own mistakes accurately Furthermore, Dlaska 1.50 - - 1.51 and Krekeler’s (2008) findings suggest that explicit instruction on sounds that not exist in the learners’ native languages would be beneficial to facilitate the learners’ awareness of the sounds According to Shastri (2010), “the teacher need make them aware of correct pronunciation and stress Our aim of teaching English as L2 is not to develop British or American accent but to help them overcome regional accents and wrong pronunciation” 1.52 Still there has not been much research directly exploring the effects of voice recording on speaking ability Therefore, the study entitled “Using voice recording as a supplementary activity to improve EFL learners’ speaking ability” was conducted with the hope that the study could make some contributions to the teaching and learning English speaking for EFL learners 1.3 1.53 Aims of the study This study aimed to examine the effects of self-voice recording on EFL learners’ speaking ability Two aspects of speaking performance were taken into: accuracy and fluency 1.4 1.54 Scope of the study The study only focused on using self-voice recording to improve English speaking ability for second-year students at Vinh university However, it only focused on accuracy in pronunciation and word stress; and speaking rate Due to the limitation of time, the study only involved sixty second-year students at Vinh university, Nghe An province 1.5 1.55 Research questions The thesis was set out to seek the answers to the following questions: - How does self-voice recording affect EFL learners’ speaking speed? - How does self-voice recording affect EFL learners’ speaking accuracy in pronunciation and word stress? - 10 - 1.420 APPENDIX A 1.421 GENERAL ENGLISH TEST Time: 90 minutes 1.422 READING AND WRITING (60 minutes) I READING Part Questions 1-5 1.423 Look at the text in each question What does it say? Mark the correct letter A, B or C on your answer sheet Claire 1.424 Tom needs to get the concert 1.425 A Tom wants Claire to get a concert tickets If you don’t want to go, ticket for him.B Tom can’t go to the concert and can youtell him? If he doesn’t wants Claire to use his ticket hear from you, he’ll buyyou 1.426 one C Tom will get Claire a ticket unless she tells him not to TRIP CANCELLED ON THURSDAY GO TO OFFICEFOR REFUND 1.427 1.428 A You can get the money you paid for Thursday’s trip from the office 1.429 B If you haven’t paid for Thursday’s trip, you should go to the office 1.430 C The trip which was cancelled will now take 1.431 place on 1.432 Thursday - 85 - Mum The computer store can deliver 1.433 1.434 A Luke is offering to collect the your new computer computer from the shop for his mother tomorrow or you can collect it 1.435 They close at 5.30 today, so can 1.436 B Luke’s mother needs to collect her you tell them which you prefer? computer from the 1.437 shop by 5.30 today Luke 1.438 C Luke’s mother should decide today if she can fetch her 1.439 computer from the shop 1.440 1.441 A Use either entrance if you want to buy a bicycle Take bicycles for repair to side entrance of shop 1.442 B Use the side entrance if your bicycle needs mending 1.443 C Use the side entrance if the front entrance Front entrance for is closed sales only Bella thinks 1.444 A she has found Stefan’s hat 1.445 Stefan B Stefan has taken her hat I can’t find my hat It’s a bit 1.446 C Stefan has lost his homework like yours so maybeyou picked it up bymistake when we weredoing our homeworktogether last night Bella - 86 - 1.447 Part Questions 6-15 1.448 Look at the sentences below about a hotel Read the text on the next page to decide if each sentence is correct or incorrect If it is correct, mark A on your answer sheet If it is not correct, mark B on your answer sheet During the 1980s, few tourists used to go to the Arctic in summer People came in large numbers to Jukkasjarvi to see the Arctic Hall The artist encouraged people to sleep in the Arctic Hall Each winter, guests come and sleep in the hotel before it is finished 10 Progress when building the hotel is influenced by the weather 11 The temperature inside the hotel changes according to the temperature outside 12 Some clothes are provided by the hotel 13 Guests should buy boots which fit as tightly as possible 14 Items ordered through the ICEHOTEL shop will be delivered to your home 15 It is possible to take a train from the airport to the ICEHOTEL 1.449 THE ICEHOTEL 1.450 For many years the Arctic was a popular destination in the summer season to see the land of the midnight sun but in winter the few inhabitants had the snow and ice to themselves By the end of the 1980s it was decided that the dark and cold winter should be seen as an advantage In the winter of 1990 the French artist Jannot Derit was invited to have the opening of an exhibition in a specially built igloo (a building made of snow) in the little town of Jukkasjarvi on the frozen Torne River The building, named Arctic Hall, attracted many interested visitors to the area One night a group of foreign guests decided it would be a good idea to sleep in the Arctic Hall The following morning the brave group were very pleased with their experience and the idea of an ice hotel was born Today it is world famous 1.451 As soon as winter begins, a team of snow builders, architects and artists from all - 87 - 1.452 over the world come to Jukkasjarvi and they make the hotel for that year As one part is completed, it opens to visitors and overnight guests, while the other parts are still being built The first part is completed in December and each week after that a new part opens, until January 7th when the hotel is completed As the ICEHOTEL is built under the open sky, using the natural materials of the winter season, the finishing date depends on nature and therefore there are sometimes changes to the plan In the spring, as the weather gets warmer, the hotel melts 1.453 Inside the hotel, the temperature is never colder than -5 °C to -8 °C, however cold it may be outside Winter outer clothes such as warm overalls, hats and gloves are included in the cost of guests’ stay at the hotel In addition to this, it is a good idea for guests to bring sweaters and a scarf as well as plenty of woollen socks and to choose footwear that is larger than normal to allow space for thick socks 1.454 If you are planning to come to the hotel, you can buy warm sweaters, woollen socks and much more on the ICEHOTEL website You can order these and the equipment you will need at the same time as you book your visit The items will be delivered to your room when you check in 1.455 The hotel is in the village of Jukkasjarvi, 200 km above the Arctic Circle but only 15 km from Kiruna airport and 17 km from Kiruna train station Transport by bus can be arranged from the airport or train station to the ICEHOTEL 1.456 Part 3Questions 16- 25 1.457 Read the text below and choose the correct word for each space For each question, mark the correct letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet 1.458 THE SIDEWALK 1.459 The Grand Canyon in the United States was created by the River Colorado People 1.460 visitthe Grand Canyon Park to go walking and running but (16) to look at 1.461 .the view It is awonderful view made (17) better by the Skywalk The 1.462 .distance (18) theSkywalk to the bottom of the Grand Canyon is 1.463 1219 metres It is a platform (19) - 88 - wallsand floor are built of glass 1.464 (20) that you can see the beautiful rocks of the canyon Up to120 1.465 people are allowed to stand on it at the same (21) It opened in 1.466 2007 and since(22) thousands of people have used it You have to 1.467 .(23) special coversover your shoes to (24) scratching the 1.468 g lass beneath your feet Walking onto theSkywalk makes you (25) 1.469 like a bird floating high up in the air 16 A hugely B mainly C greatly D completely 17 A already B such C more D even 18 A from B through C by D for 19 A who B where C whose D which 20 A therefore B although C so D because 21 A day B period C hour D time 22 A then B there C that D this 23 A take B wear C dress D change 24 A avoid B keep C hold D let 25 A believe B wish C consider D feel 1.470 II WRITING Part Questions 1-10 1.471 Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first Write - 89 - only the missing words on your answer sheet You may use this page for any rough work My friend told me she always went there, so I started going too 1.472 .My It has been there for four years 1.473 It It stays open until seven o’clock 1.474 It I have my hair cut there every six weeks 1.475 The hairdresser Men’s haircuts are cheaper than women’s haircuts 1.476 Men’s The journey was so long that I fell asleep on the train 1.477 It was The bus stop is quite near my house 1.478 The bus stop I passed my driving test three years ago 1.479 It has You shouldn't take too much luggage on holiday 1.480 It's a 10 I have never owned a car as fast as this one 1.481 This car 1.482 Part 1.483 This is part of a letter you receive from your English friend, Sara 1.484 I’ve got one close friend who I spend a lot of time with What about you? Tell - 90 - me about your friends? How important are they to you? 1.485 Now write a letter to Sara about your friends Write at least 100 words 1.486 LISTENING TEST (30 minutes) 1.487 Part Questions 1-6 1.488 You will hear a man called Simon Webster talking about being a racing driver For each question, put a tick (/) in the correct box When races take place? A during part of the year B on most days during the week C mainly on Fridays What problem does Simon have? A He can’t stop training before a race B He can’t improve any more C He doesn’t ever have holidays What does he say is most important for a racing driver? A not getting frightened B being able to concentrate C knowing how a car works How did he become interested in cars? A His friends were keen on motor-racing B He enjoyed watching motor-racing on TV C His father took him to races What advice does he give to young racing drivers? A They should other sports too B They should study hard C They should get very fit - 91 - 1.489 Part Questions 8-19 1.490 You will hear a man talking about a photography course For each question, write the missing information in the numbered space 1.930 PHOTOGRAPHY COURSE 1.932 On some Tuesdays students visit local (6) 1.935 The tutor has been taking photographs for (8) 1.938 On Thursday students take photographs of (9) 1.941 The course runs for (10) 1.944 July a 1.933 to see 1.934 ny (7) 1.937 1.936 y ears 1.940 1.939 objects 1.942 weeks and 1.943 t begins on he (11) 1.945 1.946 1.948 1.947 The course costs (12) £ 1.951 1.950 Full fees must be paid at the (13) course 1.953 John is on (14) for a few days and back in college 1.955 1.491 1.492 THE END of the 1.493 PRE-TEST 1.494 Talk about a problem that affects the environment in the area where you live You should say: > what the problem is >what causes it - 92 - 1.931 1.949 1.952 1.954 o n (15) > what people feel about the problem 1.495 and explain what you think could be done to solve it 1.496 POST-TEST 1.497 Talk about a famous tourist destination in your country You should say: 1.498 >what it is 1.499 >what are the main attractions of this place 1.500 >what can someone see/do there 1.501 And say whether it is good for young people to visit - 93 - 1.502 1.503 APPENDIX D A SAMPLE OF STUDENT’S PRE-TEST TRANSCRIPTION The treatment group (Time: 01:26; Word number: 142) 1.504 Environment is a significant issue that my village always concern about There’s a 1.505 1.506 Oo factory which produce wooden furniture It make noise all the time and .uhm Oo oOo 1.507 people in my village feel uncomfortable about big noise We can’t sleep well, 1.508 1.509 ooOoo/Pr Pr children can’t pay attention to study Hence, their learning qualification get worse 1.510 Pr 1.511 Even we can’t listen to each other well Clearly whenever we talk uhm 1.512 Besides, it take.our year Therefore, this lead us to have a bad health and difficult 1.513 life We wish this problem would be solved right now And the government should 1.514 Pr 1.515 try to negotiate with ah.boss, their boss or move this factory to other place and - 94 - 1.516 Oooo/Pr Pr APPENDIX E 1.517 or they can force them to work in certain time, for example, when people in my 1.518 Pr 1.519 village go to work, they can run their factory I uhm honesty hope that the 1.520 problem could reduce I think action big louder than word Oo - 95 - 1.521 A SAMPLE OF STUDENT’S ONE SESSION TRANSCRIPTION Topic: Talk about a website that you usually visit 1.522 First recording (Time: 2:00/ Word number: 106) 1.523 Ah Facebook is website I usually visit because of ah FB brings a lot of benefits 1.524 Firstly, I can post my status umh can show my emotions, feelings ah anything I want to show for anyone Moreover, I can chatting chat with my friend friends ah through Facebook, I also can update information about education, economic, economy education, economy, showbiz It updates 1.525 oOoo Pr Pr 1.526 information regularly Moreover, I can leam a lot of things from FB ah I usually 1.527 oOoo 1.528 like some fan-pages Ah some educational, for example IELTS, FCE ah 1.529 Pr 1.530 These fanpages pages usually post a lot of useful things to help me improve my English skills for example listening skills, speaking skills and reading and 1.531 Pr writing skills I see it.umh.because of huge benefits FB brings That’s why 1.532 I usually choose FB to visit 1.533 Second recording (Time: 2:29 / Word number: 170) 1.534 Today, I would like to tell you my favorite website It is Facebook FB is the most social network umh a lot of people around the world use FB nowadays and so 1.535 Pr I.I spend and hours per day to surf FB FB brings a lot of benefits ah people can connect Through FB you can connect with people, 1.536 Oo Oo 1.537 sharing special event events I can surf FB to connect with my family, my friend 1.538 Pr Oo friends I usually post some pictures, videos and share my emotion or feelings I want to show that I want to I want everyone to know ah whatever I 1.539 .moreover through FB I can learn a lot of things I usually like English pages about IELTs examination because I am studying ah I am majoring English linguistic so I have to get exam next year I usually visit English pages to learn vocabulary, English skills like listening, speaking, reading and writing skills 1.540 All of above.ah all of above reasons I really love FB Pr Pr 1.541A SAMPLE OF STUDENT’S POST TEST TRANSCRIPTION The treatment group (Time: 02:33; Word number: 260) 1.542 If you want a week destination you should visit, I will help you Hue’s on the top of 1.543 Pr 1.544 historical and beautiful sightseeing of the beautiful place of the world In Vietnam, Oooo 1.545 Pr Hue is an ancient city in Vietnam It is located in central Vietnam on the bank of Pr Oo 1.546 Huong river Hue has several tourist attraction which are beautiful and ancient 1.547 r 1.548 _Among these, Hue Cultural Heritage by P which were recognized in World 1.549 UNESCO Besides, there are many Asian ancient pagoda, temple and river That is 1.550 Pr also known by many tourist all over the world The typical climate in Hue is tropical climate The city also well-known by special food and drink People 1.551 Pr Pr ah tourist can enjoy the ancient atmosphere by eating royal food and listening 1.552 Pr Ooo 1.553 to royal music In addition, coffee is one the most typical drink You can enjoy a 1.554 1.555 Ooo cup of hot coffee.in Hue in the morning Besides, there are many there are plenty 1.556 of festival, particularly Hue festival is the biggest festival in here People are very friendly and kind, they are ready to help other people and Hue is a valuable destination for young people because of the following reason First, if young people feel it is really noisy, they are surrounded by loud sound, they can ah young 1.557 _people can learn about Vietnam history and they can in lifestyle and people’s politeness and simples are good example for them to follow In conclusion, it is 1.558 Oo Ooo 1.559 worth visiting Hue I’m sure that Hue is one of the most ideal place to visit 1.560 Pr ... presents the results of the study of the effects of self-voice recording on speaking speed, word stress accuracy and pronunciation accuracy 1.61 Chapter is the conclusion 1.62 This chapter provides theoretical... Means and standard deviations of speaking fluency of the pre-test and the post-test of both groups 1.24 Table 4.15: Means and standard deviations of speaking accuracy of the pre-test and the post-test... Secondly, the effects of self-voice recording on fluency were also studied Accuracy in speaking was measured by the number of errors of pronunciation and word stress per 100 words, and speaking rate