Reading-aloud technique and English pronunciation

Abstract

The current study determined how the technique of reading aloud promotes pronunciation in English. The research was descriptive and non-experimental, using the quantitative method, with the participation of 80 students of the Language Center of the Universidad Tecnológica Indoamérica, of which 46 were men and 34 women of the fourth and sixth levels. Data collection was conducted through a Likert-scale survey consisting of 20 items. The reliability of the survey was validated through Cronbach's Alpha coefficient (0.832). The study aimed to answer three research questions: What are the characteristics and strategies of reading-aloud techniques that help in English pronunciation? To what extent does the read-aloud technique benefit English pronunciation? What factors are involved in learning pronunciation in L2? The results revealed interesting findings. Firstly, the characteristics and strategies of reading aloud provide an opportunity to practice the pronunciation of different words, sounds, and language structures. By doing so, students exercise their ability to produce correct sounds and acquire greater fluency in pronunciation. Additionally, reading aloud provides immediate auditory feedback, allowing for error correction and improvement in intonation and speech rhythm. Secondly, reading aloud benefitted students in familiarizing themselves with the correct pronunciation of words and sounds, intonation, and increased their confidence in producing accurate pronunciation of words and phrases in English, while being aware of pronunciation differences between English and their native language. Lastly, it was demonstrated that the factors most involved in students' pronunciation learning were intelligibility approaches and communicative teaching.