Article

Mobile-Assisted Pronunciation Training With Adult Esol Learners: Background, Acceptance, Effort, and Accuracy

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Abstract

This study investigates the relationships of learner background variables of adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) learners and a mobile App designed to promote pronunciation skills with a focus on intelligibility. Recruited from free evening classes for English learners, 34 adult ESOL learners of mixed proficiency levels, ages, lengths of residency, and first languages (L1s) completed six phoneme pair lessons on a mobile App along with a background questionnaire and technology acceptance survey (Venkatesh, Thong, & Xu, 2012). A series of linear mixed-effect model analyses were performed on learner background variables, technology acceptance, learner effort, and accuracy. The results found a minimal relationship between age, technology acceptance, and effort (7.68%) but a moderate to large one between age, technology acceptance and accuracy of consonants (39.70%) and vowels (64.26%). The implications are that learner use of mobile devices for L2 pronunciation training is moderated by various learner-related factors and the findings offer supportive evidence for designing mobile-based applications for a wide variety of backgrounds.

How to Cite: Hirschi, K., Kang, O., Hansen, J., Cucchiarini, C., & Strik, H. (2022). Mobile-assisted pronunciation training with adult ESOL learners: background, acceptance, effort, and accuracy. In J. Levis & A. Guskaroska (eds.). Proceedings of the 12th Pronunciation in Second Language Learning and Teaching Conference, held June 2021 virtually at Brock University, St. Catharines, ON. https://doi.org/10.31274/psllt.13272.