Ultrasound Overlay Video Effectiveness in Teaching Pronunciation to Young EFL Learners

Abstract

Professionals in the language teaching field have recently shown increased interest in using ultrasound technology as a visual feedback tool in pronunciation instruction. It is difficult for students to interpret and for larger learner groups and independent learners to apply. Further, without specialised equipment and expertise, this technology cannot be incorporated into teaching and learning contexts. Developing ultrasound overlay videos is an attempt to address the limitations of the current technology in language teaching contexts. This study compares the/p/and/b/production by learners who received ultrasound overlay video training, as compared to those who didn’t. All learners participated in recordings and perception quizzes before and after the training and 11 days post-training for the treatment group. No effects were noted regarding the perception and pronunciation of the segments between the groups. The same was observed during their follow-up, suggesting that ultrasound overlay videos may not be effective in helping young female learners perceive and pronounce word segments and retain the benefits of language instruction.