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Humanities
- ISSN: 2155-7993
- Journal of Modern Education Review
A Novel Mobile App Using Interactive Videos of Native Speakers to Improve English Learning
Dhonam Pemba1, Virginia Mann1,2, Krystal Klein3, Jingjing Jiang1, Trina Sarkar4 , Kaveh Azartash1
(1. Kadho, Inc., Irvine, CA, United States; 2. Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California Irvine, USA;
3. Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, USA;
4. Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, USA)
Abstract: We outline the design and evaluation of a novel mobile-assisted language learning system for native-Mandarin Chinese speaking children learning L2 English. We employed a cluster-randomized control design to compare comparable groups of five-to-six-year-old children: (1) those taught by non-native English speaking teachers utilizing traditional classroom methods (n = 512); and (2) those taught by a mobile application, Kadho English, designed to incorporate speech produced by native speakers of English into training children in the perception of English consonants, vowels, and suffixes (n = 510). Evaluation occurred at five time points spanning ten months, and included four tasks, evaluating children’s perceived accent in English productions, perception of vowels, oral production of consonant clusters, and plural mastery, respectively. Both groups improved at each task over time, but those who received Kadho English training showed greater improvement, most markedly displayed in a dramatic degree of accent reduction. Thus, we conclude that well-designed native-speech stimulus exposure apps like Kadho English can improve L2 English perception and production relative to traditional teacher-led classroom instruction.
Key words: computer-assisted, English language learning, EFL, primary education, phonemics
