Using Podcasts in Learning English Language Pronunciation among Pre-intermediate Students

The current research aimed to examine the effect of using podcasts on learning pronunciation (i.e. supra segmental features including stress, and intonation) among pre-intermediate Iranian students. ۳۰ participants were chosen in two intact classes and assigned to control and experimental groups. Then they took a teacher-made pre-test of pronunciation based on the learners' text book in order to discover the learners' knowledge on stress and intonation. The participants attended ۱۲ sessions in six weeks of treatment with the use of podcasts pre-intermediate files extracted from www.apple.com/podcasts. They were taught how to listen and distinguish the stress and intonation of the sentences. The control group received the listening materials extracted from Interchange ۱: Students’ Book (Richards, ۲۰۱۳). Finally, the participants received the post-test which was designed based on the modified pre-test. Findings revealed that the experimental group significantly improved in pronunciation but the control group did not improve the pronunciation achievement. Results suggest that using digital podcasts facilitates learners' pronunciation regarding stress and intonation at the pre-intermediate level.

Keywords:

Podcasts , Pre-intermediate Students , Stress and Intonation