Effects of Text Shadowing on Taiwanese EFL Children’s Pronunciation
Author
Yihsiang Kuo National Defense University, Taiwan Tzu-Yu Chou Sinying Elementary School, Taiwan Bio Dr. Yihsiang Kuo is a full-time associate professor at the General Education Center of National Defense University, Taiwan (August 2010-present). She received her PhD from the University of Kansas, USA and once served as a full-time associate professor at National Taiwan Ocean University (August 2004–July 2010). Her research interests include English listening instruction, text shadowing, vocabulary learning strategies, and extensive reading. Tzu-Yu Chou is currently a full-time English teacher at Sinying Elementary School, Taiwan. She received her M.A. in Applied English from National Taiwan Ocean University in 2012. She has nine years of English teaching experience at elementary schools in Taiwan. Her research interests include text shadowing, vocabulary learning strategies, and English listening comprehension.
Abstract
This paper investigated effects of text shadowing on Taiwanese EFL children’s English pronunciation and explored their attitudes toward it. Participants included three intact fourth-grade classes randomly divided into two groups: one class for the Control Group and two classes for the Experimental Group. The latter received 12-week instruction of text shadowing. A self-developed 100-word Reading Aloud Test serving as pre-test and post-test was administered before and at the end of the study to assess pronunciation. A self-created questionnaire assessing attitudes toward text shadowing was administered to the Experimental Group at the end of the study. Statistical analyses of scores on the 100-word Reading Aloud Test suggested that text shadowing significantly improved EFL children’s pronunciation at word, sentence levels and overall. All proficiency levels in the Experimental Group made significant progress, with intermediate level improving the most, low level next, high level the least. Moreover, text shadowing impact varied with English proficiency: (a) helping intermediate-level students progress the most in sounding words, (b) boosting low-level students’ confidence and bravery the most in speaking English, and (c) accelerating high-level students’ native-like accents. Questionnaire data indicated most Experimental Group students held positive attitudes toward text shadowing. Based on overall results of this study, text shadowing is strongly recommended for EFL children’s English pronunciation instruction and oral reading ability.
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