Visual reinforcement through digital zoom technology in FL pronunciation instruction

Abstract

Drawing on skill acquisition theory (DeKeyser, 2017) and the Information Feedforward and Feedback Loop model (de Bot, 1980), this study aimed to explore the effects of digital zoom technology as a visual reinforcement tool (VRT) in foreign language (FL) pronunciation instruction on learners’ segmental production, and learners’ attitudes toward and experience with it. The study was conducted during a two-week introductory FL Spanish course with a cross-over design. In the experimental class, the teacher used a tablet to provide magnified visual feedforward for articulatory gestures during explicit instruction of target consonants that were new to Chinese learners, and the students used smartphone apps with digital zoom for augmented visual self-feedback during their practice. In the control class, the teacher adopted a traditional analytic-linguistic approach for explicit instruction and an audio-only intuitive-imitative approach for students’ practice. The results of the production test show that the experimental group performed significantly better in the production of the postvocalic /l/ and the dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/, but not in the trill /r/. Interview data suggests that the VRT strategy was advantageous in directing the participants’ attention to articulatory gestures, and that most students showed positive attitudes toward this new method.