Using Challenges to Enhance a Learning Game for Pronunciation Training of English as a Second Language

Abstract

Learning games have a remarkable potential for education. They provide an emergent form of social participation that deserves the assessment of their usefulness and efficiency in learning processes. This study describes a novel learning game for foreign pronunciation training in which players can challenge each other. Native Spanish speakers performed several pronunciation activities during a one-month competition using a mobile application, designed under a minimal pairs approach, to improve their pronunciation of English as a foreign language. This game took place in a competitive scenario in which students had to challenge other participants in order to get high scores and climb up a leaderboard. Results show intense practice supported by a significant number of activities and playing regularity, so the most active and motivated players in the competition achieved significant pronunciation improvement results. The integration of automatic speech recognition (ASR) and text-to-speech (TTS) technology allowed users to improve their pronunciation while being immersed in a highly motivational game. INDEX TERMS Computer-assisted pronunciation training, mobile learning game, mobile application, English L2 pronunciation, challenges, motivation.

Gaming enhances learning-induced plastic changes in the brain

“…In particular, although positive effects of digital game-based language-learning have been shown, it is not yet understood whether these effects are due to motivation increasing the practicing time (Sandberg et al, 2011;Tejedor-García et al, 2020), or the game-like elements themselves enhancing learning.…”

Design and evaluation of mobile computer-assisted pronunciation training tools for second language learning

“…Finally, results from the focus group sessions. Some of these results have been published in [31]. Their discussion is included in Chapter 8.…”

“…Por último, este experimento como el segundo, intentó responder a las preguntas de investigación RQ2 (e Issue 2.1, Issue 2.2, Issue 2.3) y RQ3, junto a la RQ1 (e Issue 1.1), tratando aspectos relativos a los objetivos RO1, RO2, RO3 y RO4. Los principales resultados han sido publicados en [31]. En la Sección 7.5 se encuentra la descripción completa de dicho experimento.…”

“…Distribution of users by number of days with active participation in the COP competition, adapted from[31].…”

“…36: Mann-Whitney U test results (U, p) for the three group pairs ofTable 7.34 in the COP prototype. Table adapted from[31].…”