The context of the study is teaching English as a foreign language to four adult immigrant learners who attended the Bachelor of Arts in English as an Additional Language programme in New Zealand. The study addresses two issues relating to second language acquisition, namely changes in speech.
Firstly, the study seeks to examine the changes in the speech of the four students. The aspects that are investigated are pronunciation and fluency, specifically the changes that could be heard in pronunciation and fluency of the four students. The study addresses the question of whether the students can speak better after three years of study. What is more, the issue of whether the students could acquire the features of local standard New Zealand English is discussed. In order to shed light on this issue, the study analyses the concept of “fluency” and issues in assessing pronunciation with the notion of “nativeness of pronunciation” and factors of intelligibility in the focus.
The second issue, which is explored in the study, relates to the correlation and comparison of the changes in the speech of the students with their own perceptions of these changes. The authors investigate to what extent the students’ self-assessment is accurate and how self-assessment and motivational factors contributed to the changes in their pronunciation and fluency.
Table of Contents
1. What is the problem that is addressed in the research?
2. What approach is taken to address this problem?
3. What conclusions does the author draw from the research?
4. What evidence does the author present in support of the conclusions?
4.1 Data Collection
4.2 Data Analysis
5. What assumptions can you identify within the approach, conclusions or evidence presented in the article?
Research Objectives and Themes
The research examines the development of pronunciation and fluency in adult immigrant learners of English over a three-year academic period, investigating the correlation between actual speech improvements and the students' own self-assessments.
- Evolution of pronunciation and fluency in tertiary EAL students
- Role of learner self-perception and motivation in language acquisition
- Methodological application of case studies in language learning
- Assessment of oral proficiency vs. nativeness as a linguistic target
- Correlation between quantitative fluency metrics and qualitative perception
Excerpt from the Book
1. What is the problem that is addressed in the research?
The context of the study is teaching English as a foreign language to four adult immigrant learners who attended the Bachelor of Arts in English as an Additional Language programme in New Zealand. The study addresses two issues relating to second language acquisition, namely changes in speech.
Firstly, the study seeks to examine the changes in the speech of the four students. The aspects that are investigated are pronunciation and fluency, specifically the changes that could be heard in pronunciation and fluency of the four students. The study addresses the question of whether the students can speak better after three years of study. What is more, the issue of whether the students could acquire the features of local standard New Zealand English is discussed. In order to shed light on this issue, the study analyses the concept of “fluency” and issues in assessing pronunciation with the notion of “nativeness of pronunciation” and factors of intelligibility in the focus.
The second issue, which is explored in the study, relates to the correlation and comparison of the changes in the speech of the students with their own perceptions of these changes. The authors investigate to what extent the students’ self-assessment is accurate and how self-assessment and motivational factors contributed to the changes in their pronunciation and fluency.
Summary of Chapters
1. What is the problem that is addressed in the research?: This chapter introduces the study's focus on pronunciation and fluency changes in four adult immigrant learners and their ability to self-assess their own progress.
2. What approach is taken to address this problem?: This section outlines the research design, which utilizes a case study method involving pre-study and post-study testing and interviews with four participants.
3. What conclusions does the author draw from the research?: The researchers conclude that students can improve their speech over time, noting that motivation plays a critical role and that learners do not always aim for native-like accents.
4. What evidence does the author present in support of the conclusions?: This chapter evaluates the reliability of the collected data, examining the testing procedures, the limitations of the participant selection, and the methodology behind the data analysis.
4.1 Data Collection: This section details the participants' backgrounds and the testing materials, noting the lack of clarity regarding the selection process and the individuals who administered the tests.
4.2 Data Analysis: This section describes how the researchers processed quantitative and qualitative data to correlate individual speech improvements with student self-evaluations.
5. What assumptions can you identify within the approach, conclusions or evidence presented in the article?: This chapter critiques the study's post-positive ontology, identifying the separation of speech aspects from broader social contexts as a key research assumption.
Keywords
Second language acquisition, EAL, pronunciation, fluency, tertiary education, self-assessment, New Zealand English, motivation, oral proficiency, case study, linguistic target, speech improvement, language learning, qualitative evaluation, quantitative analysis.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper explores the development of pronunciation and fluency in four adult immigrant students enrolled in an English as an Additional Language program over a three-year period.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
The study centers on the measurement of oral proficiency, the influence of personal motivation, the accuracy of student self-assessment, and the distinction between intelligibility and native-like pronunciation.
What is the main research question?
The primary research question asks whether adult learners can significantly improve their speech, specifically in pronunciation and fluency, after three years of tertiary study.
What methodology was employed by the researchers?
The researchers used a case study approach, conducting parallel pre-study and post-study tests combined with post-study interviews to capture both quantitative and qualitative data.
What aspects are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body details the data collection process, the evaluation of fluency variables, the analysis of pronunciation norms, and the correlation between actual speech changes and learner perceptions.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include second language acquisition, oral proficiency, self-assessment, fluency, pronunciation, and adult immigrant learners.
Why is the role of the learner's personal perception significant in this study?
The study highlights that learners' ability to accurately self-assess their progress is a key indicator of their development and reveals that learners often prioritize intelligibility over native-like standards.
How do the researchers avoid bias in their analysis?
The authors attempt to maintain objectivity through a post-positive research framework, utilizing standardized data collection instruments and focusing on quantifiable variables.
What were the specific findings regarding pronunciation?
The findings indicate that students improved in areas like word stress, linking, and phoneme production, though these improvements varied and were not necessarily directed toward achieving a New Zealand native accent.
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- Ayed Alqarni (Autor:in), 2011, Can I Change the Way I Speak, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/205681
