Effects of Second Language Pronunciation Teaching Revisited: A Proposed Measurement Framework and Meta‐Analysis

By Kazuya Saito, Luke Plonsky. Language Learning, 2019

253 citations recorded by the source corpus.

We propose a new framework for conceptualizing measures of instructed L2 pronunciation proficiency according to three sets of parameters: (a) the constructs being focused on (global vs. specific), (b) the scoring method (human raters vs. acoustic analyses), and (c) the type of knowledge being elicited (controlled vs. spontaneous). Adopting the model (i.e., Framework for L2 Pronunciation Measurement) as a synthetic tool, we code the instruments found in 77 studies of L2 pronunciation teaching published between 1982 and 2017. We calculate the frequency of each measurement type and re-examine the interaction of instructional effectiveness and measurement within the sample. According to the results, instruction is most effective when it targets learners’ monitored production of specific segmental/suprasegmental features. The efficacy of instruction remains relatively unclear when gains are measured globally via subjective/human judgements especially at a spontaneous level. The findings are discussed to improve the designs in L2 pronunciation research and, more generally, strengthen the interface between pronunciation teaching, measurement and SLA.

Subfields: Artificial Intelligence, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/85bf44e8b637216508617fac529046ca668c4d03

Citations in the corpus

• Investigating English Speaking Problems: Implications for Speaking Curriculum Development in Indonesia (2020, unknown): “Indeed, based on the observation and interview, students have not been able master the pronunciation proficiencies which include comprehensibility, intelligibility, and fluency (Levis et al., 2016; Saito & Plonsky, 2019).”