The Role of Using ICTs in Enhancing EFL learners’ Pronunciation: Audiobooks as an Example

Abstract

The present study aims at investigating the role of using Audiobooks in enhancing EFL learners’ pronunciation. First, this research gives a theoretical overview about pronunciation in addition to the role of ICTs inside the classroom particularly Audiobooks as a suggested tool for developing learners’ pronunciation abilities especially of vowels, consonants, stress, linking and other features. To test the hypothesis which assumes that the use of Audiobooks inside the EFL classroom leads to a better pronunciation; a mixed method was conducted. It involved an experimental study and an EFL teachers’ interview. The first practical part consisted of giving pre and post pronunciation tests to pupils of third year at Ibn-Khaldun middle school in Souk-Ahras. This experimental study tried to record first and second pupils’ readings of different passages, before and after they listen to the passages from an Audiobook. Then, the researcher made a comparison between them, through presenting the pupils’ recordings in a phonetic transcription. While, the second practical part was an interview which administered to four teachers of the same institution. The interviews aimed to find out about teachers’ standpoints regarding the use of ICTs and Audiobooks in improving their pupils’ sound production. The findings indicated that pupils’ encounter many difficulties in the English pronunciation, and this was due to many factors. Furthermore, all teachers are aware of the impact of Audiobooks on their pupils’ pronunciation. They believe that Audiobooks can be integrated inside the classroom for enhancing even the other skills such as listening, speaking and reading. From these results, it is confirmed that using Audiobooks has a positive impact on EFL pronunciation. Finally, it is recommended that teachers should benefit from the use of ICTs and direct their pupils’ attention to use technology inside and outside the classroom in order to improve their English performance.