The impact of shadowing technique using eJOY on improving the final sound pronunciation

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65956/procia.2026.66

Keywords:

shadowing technique, final sound pronunciation, eJOY

Abstract

This study examines the effectiveness of eJOY-supported shadowing in improving English word-final consonant production among Vietnamese adult EFL learners. Using a classroom-based action research design, the intervention was implemented over two months in a communication course with ten learners at A2-B1 proficiency levels. The eJOY platform, which incorporates automatic speech recognition and real-time feedback, was used to facilitate structured shadowing practice. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests to assess pronunciation accuracy, weekly recordings to monitor changes in students’ pronunciation and provide timely instructional support, and a post-intervention questionnaire to gather learners’ perceptions and experiences. Findings revealed clear pre-post gains in overall pronunciation scores and increased consistency in learners’ attempts to articulate common final consonants, alongside uniformly positive evaluations of feasibility and perceived benefits. The findings suggest that eJOY-supported shadowing is a practical, technology-enhanced option for targeting persistent final-sound difficulties in adult EFL contexts.

Author Biography

  • Duyen Le, Nong Lam University Ho Chi Minh City

    Le Thi My Duyen is a lecturer at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Technical Education, Nong Lam University, Ho Chi Minh City. With six years of experience teaching English to diverse learners, she focuses on practical, student-centered approaches to language development. While new to academic research, she is committed to exploring classroom-based solutions to common challenges in Vietnamese EFL contexts. Her professional interests lie in pronunciation, speaking skills, and technology-enhanced language teaching. Duyen is particularly enthusiastic about using digital tools to boost learner autonomy and confidence. She looks forward to exchanging ideas with fellow educators and gaining insights to further enrich her teaching and research journey.

References

Baumfield, V., Hall, E. & Wall, K. (2013). Action research in education (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE. https://doi.org/10.33524/cjar.v17i2.263.

Bovee, N., & Stewart, J. (2009). The utility of shadowing. In A.M. Stoke (Ed.), JALT 2008 Conference Proceedings. Tokyo: JALT.

Carr, P. (2019). English phonetics and phonology: An introduction. John Wiley & Sons.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Action research. In Research methods in education (8th ed., pp. 440-456). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539.

Crystal, D. (2011). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. John Wiley & Sons.

Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation fundamentals: Evidence-based perspectives for L2 teaching and research (Vol. 42). John Benjamins Publishing Company. https://doi.org/10.1075/lllt.42.

Dick, B. (1993). A beginner’s guide to action research. Arcs Newsletter, 1(1), 5-9.

Evers, K., & Chen, S. (2022). Effects of an automatic speech recognition system with peer feedback on pronunciation instruction for adults. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(8), 1869-1889. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2020.1839504.

Foote, J. A., & McDonough, K. (2017). Using shadowing with mobile technology to improve L2 pronunciation. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 3(1), 34-56. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.3.1.02foo.

Gilakjani, A. P. (2016a). English pronunciation instruction: A literature review. International Journal of Research in English Education, 1(1), 1-6.

Gilakjani, A. P. (2016b). What factors influence the English pronunciation of EFL learners? Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods (MJLTM), 6(2), 314-326.

Gilakjani, A., P. & Ahmadi, M. R. (2011). Why is pronunciation so difficult to learn. English Language Teaching, 4(3), 74-83.

Ha, C. T. (2005). Common pronunciation problems of Vietnamese learners of English. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, 21(1).

Hamada, Y. (2014). The effectiveness of pre-and post-shadowing in improving listening comprehension skills. The Language Teacher, 38(1), 3-10.

Hamada, Y. (2015). Monitoring strategy in shadowing: self-monitoring and pair-monitoring. The Asian EFL Journal, Professional Teaching Articles, 81, 4-25.

Hamada, Y. (2016a). Shadowing: Who benefits and how? Uncovering a booming EFL teaching technique for listening comprehension. Language Teaching Research, 20(1), 35-52.

Hamada, Y. (2016b). Teaching EFL learners shadowing for listening: Developing learners' bottom-up skills. Routledge.

Hamada, Y. (2018). Shadowing: What is it? How to use it. Where will it go? RELC Journal, 50(3), 386–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688218771380.

Harmon, D. I. (2014). Teaching fluency and rhythm to learners using reading aloud and shadowing. Teaching the sound system of English: Temple University Japan Studies in Applied Linguistics, 90, 33-43.

Hsieh, K. T., Dong, D. H., & Wang, L. Y. (2013). A preliminary study of applying shadowing technique to English intonation instruction. Taiwan Journal of Linguistics, 11(2).

Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The action research planner: Doing critical participatory action research. Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2.

Kessler, G. (2018). Technology and the future of language teaching. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 205-218. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12318.

Kobilova, N. R. (2022). Importance of pronunciation in English language communication. Academic Research in Educational Sciences, 3(6), 592-597.

Lambert, S. (1992). Shadowing. Meta, 37(2), 263-273.

Lewin, K. (1946). Action research and minority problems. Journal of Social Issues, 2(4), 34-46. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1946.tb02295.x.

Lord, G. (2005). (How) can we teach foreign language pronunciation? On the effects of a Spanish phonetics course. Hispania, 88(3), 557. https://doi.org/10.2307/20063159.

Luu, T. H., & Do, T. H. (2023). The effects of shadowing technique on non-English majors' speaking skills at HPU2: An action research project. Scientific Journal of Hanoi Metropolitan University, 2(69), 102-111.

Martinsen, R., Montgomery, C., & Willardson, V. (2017). The effectiveness of video‐based shadowing and tracking pronunciation exercises for foreign language learners. Foreign Language Annals, 50(4), 661-680. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12306.

McLeod, S., Margetson, K., Wang, C., Tran, V. H., Verdon, S., White, K., & Phạm, B. (2022). Speech acquisition within a 3-generation Vietnamese-English family: The influence of maturation and ambient phonology. Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics, 36(4-5), 470-493. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699206.2020.1862915.

Mertler, C. A. (2019). Action research: Improving schools and empowering educators. Sage Publications.

Ngo, N. B. (2005). The Vietnamese learning framework–Part One: Linguistics. COTSEAL Journal.

Nguyen, T. T. T. (2007). Difficulties for Vietnamese when pronouncing English final consonants. Retrieved from: https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:518290/FULLTEXT01.pdf.

Nguyen, T. H., Hwang, W. Y., Pham, X. L., & Ma, Z. H. (2018). User-oriented EFL speaking through application and exercise: Instant speech translation and shadowing in authentic context. Journal of Educational Technology & Society, 21(4), 129–142. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/26511544.

Omar, H. M., & Umehara, M. (2010). Using a shadowing technique to improve English pronunciation deficient adult Japanese learners: An action research on expatriate Japanese adult learners. The Journal of ASIA TEFL, 7(2), 199-230.

Osburne, A.G. (1996). Final cluster reduction in English L2 speech: A case study of a Vietnamese speaker. Applied Linguistics, 17(2), 164-181. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/17.2.164.

Ricard, E. (1986). Beyond fossilization: A course in strategies and techniques in pronunciation for advanced adult learners. TESL Canada Journal, 3, 243 -253. https://doi.org/10.18806/tesl.v3i0.1009.

Salim, A., Terasne, T., & Narasima, L. (2020). Enhancing the students’ pronunciation using shadowing technique at senior high school students. Journal of Languages and Language Teaching, 8(1), 20-28. https://doi.org/10.33394/jollt.v8i1.2212.

Saskiana, W. O., Fadhilawati, D., & Aini, M. R. (2024). Evaluating the Efficacy of the EJOY English Application to Escalate Eleventh-Grade Students’ Speaking Proficiency. JOSAR (Journal of Students Academic Research), 9(2), 107-119. https://doi.org/10.35457/josar.v9i2.3879.

Schuberg, B., Masciarelli, K., & Nguyen, N. (2013). Influence of Vietnamese pronunciation on the production of English final consonant sounds. Linguistics, 51(1), 137-162.

Sewell, A. (2016). English pronunciation models in a globalized world: Accent, acceptability and Hong Kong English. Routledge.

Shiki, O., Mori, Y., Kadota, S., & Yoshida, S. (2010). Exploring differences between shadowing and repeating practices: An analysis of reproduction rate and types of reproduced words. ARELE: Annual Review of English Language Education in Japan, 21, 81-90. https://doi.org/10.20581/arele.21.0_81.

Szyszka, M. (2016). Pronunciation learning strategies and language anxiety. Springer International Publishing.

Tamai, K. (1992). The effect of “follow-up” on development of listening ability and the relationship between “follow-up” ability and listening ability. STEP Bulletin, 4, 48- 62.

Tang, G. M. (2007). Cross-linguistic analysis of Vietnamese and English with implications for Vietnamese language acquisition and maintenance in the United States. Journal of Southeast Asian American Education & Advancement, 2(1), 1-33. https://doi.org/10.7771/2153-8999.1085.

Younes, S. A., & Mueller Gathercole, V. C. (2022). Phonological interaction in Spanish-English bilinguals: effects of cognate usage on voice onset time of voiced stops. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 25(2), 709-727. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2020.1715914.

Downloads

How to Cite

Le, D. (2026). The impact of shadowing technique using eJOY on improving the final sound pronunciation. Proceedings of International Academia, 1(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.65956/procia.2026.66
Received: 15-04-2026
Accepted: 05-05-2026
Published: 05-05-2026

Full-text Version

Published:

05-05-2026

Data Availability Statement

NA