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Article published In:
Journal of Second Language Pronunciation
Vol. 7:1 (2021) ► pp.10–37

Effect of pronunciation instruction on L2 learners’ listening comprehension

ORCID logo | Manchester Metropolitan University
| Manchester Metropolitan University
| Hue University of Foreign Languages

This study explored the potential impact of pronunciation instruction on L2 listening comprehension. Seventy-two intermediate Vietnamese EFL university learners formed two groups. The pronunciation group (n = 35) received seven weekly 45-minute pronunciation instruction sessions targeting segmental and suprasegmental features of English. The control group (n = 37) did not receive any pronunciation instruction. Weekly reflections, an exit questionnaire and focus group interviews were used to investigate learners’ perceptions of the impact of the pronunciation instruction. Results showed that the two groups’ immediate listening post-test scores did not differ significantly after the first two sessions on syllables and consonants/vowels. However, the pronunciation group outperformed the control group after three further pronunciation sessions on word stress, thought groups and sentence focus, but these differences disappeared on subsequent immediate and delayed post-tests. Self-report data indicated learners’ positive perceptions of the helpfulness of the pronunciation instruction and how the gained pronunciation knowledge helped improve their listening comprehension.

Keywords: pronunciation instruction, listening comprehension, phonological knowledge
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Listening comprehension in L2 learning
    • 2.2The relationship between listening comprehension and pronunciation
    • 2.3Teaching of listening comprehension and pronunciation skills
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Participants
    • 3.2Study design
    • 3.3Pronunciation instruction sessions
    • 3.4Target phonological features
    • 3.5Materials
    • 3.6Procedure
    • 3.7Data analysis
  • 4.Results
    • 4.1Pronunciation instruction and listening comprehension
    • 4.2Learners’ perceptions of the impact of pronunciation instruction on listening comprehension
      • 4.2.1Impact of pronunciation instruction on learners’ knowledge of English pronunciation
      • 4.2.2Perceived impact of increased pronunciation knowledge on listening comprehension
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Impact of pronunciation instruction on listening comprehension
    • 5.2Learners’ perceptions of how pronunciation instruction affects listening comprehension
    • 5.3Pedagogical benefits of pronunciation instruction for listening comprehension
  • 6.Limitations
  • 7.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 7 July 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.19012.dao
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