Assessing the Impact of Pronunciation Learning Strategy on Kurdish EFL Learners’ Pronunciation Accuracy

The study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of pronunciation learning strategies (in favor of Covert Rehearsal Model) in helping Kurdish EFL learners to acquire accuracy in English pronunciation and detecting the most frequently used strategy types and strategy group by the learners. A total of 50 Kurdish EFL students of Salahaddin University, English Department took part in the study. The instruments used for collecting data and information included were a validated questionnaire of pronunciation learning strategies. The questionnaire items were adopted from the synthesized taxonomy of pronunciation strategies presented by O'Malley & Chamots’ (1990) and Oxford's (1990) and adapted according to Kurdish learners' need. The results indicated that the use of various pronunciation learning strategies were useful for Kurdish learners to improve their pronunciation skills and then consolidate their self-confidence to bring positive changes in students' pronunciation performance.

Pronunciation Pegs

An ESL instructor describes her experience of using pronunciation pegs, a method to foster the self-monitoring and self-correction of pronunciation mistakes with a view to helping university-level students deal with the ongoing challenge of producing target-like pronunciation. The appeal of pegs to students led the instructor to reflect on what makes adopting target pronunciation problematic, how pegs can be adapted to various learning styles, and how cultural differences can have an effect on the appreciation of pegs. Finally, the instructor sought a theoretical explanation for how pegs worked and found this in anchoring and covert rehearsal.

Role-Play Training as a Tool in Social Skills Assessment

The usefulness of role-play training in improving the accuracy of capabilities-oriented assessments of social skill was examined. Subjects reporting social difficulties sufficient to consider seeking professional help received either role-play training or demand-for-skill instructions prior to engaging in a role-play assessment of both assertion and conversational skills. Role-play training, which consisted of demand-for-skill instructions, covert rehearsal, ‘self-control’ desensitization, and cognitive restructuring, was associated with less subjective and behavioral anxiety, greater skill in assertiveness, and less awareness of negative thoughts and feelings than demand-for-skill instructions alone. Results are interpreted in light of the potential of capabilities-oriented assessments in determining the source of interpersonal impairments.