Outline  I. Introduction  II. Reading fluency components  III. Experimental study  1) Method and participants  2) Testing materials  IV. Interpretation of the Research Results  V. Conclusion  VI. Discussion  VII. References

Reading fluency is:  the ability to read text with accuracy, appropriate rate, and good expression (the National Reading Panel, 2000);  “reading quickly, accurately, and with expression”;  Uninterrupted speech flow, correlated with speech rate and expressiveness.  Rate + Accuracy + Expressiveness = Fluency  Comprehension

PROBLEM: Japanese Learners of English read slowly and inaccurately  REASONS:  1. They read one word at a time and can not grasp whole phrase (Kitao & Kitao, 1995).  2. They stress every word in a text.  3. They can not decode the words they do not know.  4. They can not pronounce some consonant clusters.  5. They make phonemic mistakes.

EFL: Teaching English Pronunciation accuracy in word decoding (and articulation)    Pronunciation  automatic reproduction of words in text  active construction of meaning from the text

Experimental Study  of the effects of a 5-day Intensive English Pronunciation Course on students reading fluency (reading rate, accuracy, expression).

Participants, methods and materials  PARTICIPANTS: twenty 1 st and 3 rd year NUCB students, majoring in English (Time - February, 2011).  Length of the course: 5 days (14 academic hours).  Textbook: Baker, Ann. (2006). Ship or Sheep? An Intermediate  Pronunciation Course. 3 rd edition. Cambridge:  Cambridge University Press.  TEACHING TARGETS:  Segmental Phonetics (pronunciation of vowels and consonants)  Reading rules and word accent  Supra-segmental Phonetics (Sentence stress, intonation) TESTS: Diagnostic initial and final (to assess students’ difficulties) – i-movies TESTING MATERIALS – from the textbook.

Diagnostic Test Results  Students’ Problems (in listening and speaking):  Vowels:  Long vs. short vowels differentiation  Consonants: /r/, /l/, /v/, /f/, /b/, /s/, /θ/, plosives  Intonation, rhythm, word accent and sentence stress  Vowel reduction and assimilation in connected speech

Instruction – Demonstration – Practice - Correction 1.Articulation in isolation – teacher’s control 2.Differentiation: Minimal pairs – teacher’s control 3. practice: listen and repeathttp://shiporsheep.com/ rot lot wrong long 4. Practice in a text

Sentence stress, word accent, and intonation practice  Target sound (e.g. /i:/ in sentences :  Listen  Read/Repeat (He’s going to leave.)  Dialogue (word/accent practice, listen and read)  Reading a story aloud (mark short and long pauses, underline the emphasized words)  Intonation practice (listen and repeat)  Role play (conversation practice)

Final Test (1)  Phoneme recognition and differentiation (Listen to a list of words, circle the word that is said twice).  Sentence stress, word accent recognition (Listen to the sentences, underline the stressed syllables).  Intonation (Match the correct intonation pattern items with the conversation items).  Word-decoding (Circle the words with the same vowel/consonant sound): Heart /a:/ arm home are can’t carry cut am jump arm half

Final Test (2)  Listen, practice and read the story aloud (make an i-movies).

Results of the study  Initial and Final Test results were compared for each student.  Written test results:  1. Phoneme recognition and differentiation – improved (20-40%)  Intonation, sentence stress, word accent recognition (30-50%)  Word-decoding – improved (30-40%)  Oral Reading speed, accuracy, expression –improved for most of the students.

Diagnostic Test (i-movie)

Final Test (i-movie)

Conclusion  The results of the study suggest that developing skills in pronunciation and improving expression can help improve reading accuracy (word decoding and pronunciation), expression, and speed.  The most obvious improvement was in reading expression (intonation).  Accuracy in pronunciation was higher in reading minimal pairs (or separate words) than when reading a dialogue or a story.

Discussion  Ability to pronounce all the target sounds correctly (in isolation and in pairs) does not automatically transfer to accurate reading of the words in a text.  Correction of pronunciation mistakes requires more time and practice.

References  1. Hasbrouck J. (2008). For students who are not yet fluent, Silent Reading is not the best use of classroom time.  2. Hasbrouck J. (2006). Understanding and Assessing Fluency.  3. Kitao, K., & Kitao, S. K. (1995). Difficulties Japanese Have in Reading English. In K. Kitao & S. K.Kitao. English Teaching Theory, Research and Practice (pp ). Tokyo: Eichosha.  Jorm, A. F., & Share, D. (1983). Phonological recording and reading acquisition. Applied Psycholinguistics, 4,

Thank you!