An Empirical Study on the Effectiveness of Using Smartphone Speech Technologies in EFL Shadowing Activities

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K02881
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Foreign language education
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Koizumi Takashi 名古屋大学, 教養教育院, 講師 (60549541)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: シャドーイング / 音声認識 / 音声合成

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study examined how text-to-speech and speech-to-text technologies can be incorporated into EFL shadowing activities and how effective they are for language learning. Using cloud-based speech technologies, we developed a smartphone app that can evaluate learners’ shadowing performances automatically. We then asked university students to practice shadowing using the app to determine the effectiveness of their learning. The results suggested that text-to-speech voices were as effective as native speakers’ voices for improving learners’ speaking abilities and that automatic evaluations using speech-to-text technologies were more effective than self-evaluations for both improving their speaking abilities and motivating students.

Free Research Field

英語教育

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年、iPhoneやGoogleの音声検索にみられるように音声認識・音声合成技術は急速に進歩し実用化されている。今後も進歩が期待される音声技術を、外国語学習に活用する試みはすでにみられるが、実証的に検証した例は少ない。本研究では、シャドーイング活動という外国語学習法に、音声技術をどのように利用できるか、また、どのような点で効果があるのかを実証的に検証した。得られた結果は、今後の語学教材開発・語学学習において活用が可能である。