著者

中井 文子

出版者

東洋大学国際観光学部

雑誌

観光学研究 = Journal of Tourism Studies (ISSN:13472240)

巻号頁・発行日

no.18, pp.13-27, 2019-03

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This study examines the effects of an online text-to-speech resource for English classes. The websiteincludes various automated synthesized voices (ASVs) speaking British and American varieties ofEnglish. The speaking speed can be changed easily. Japanese teachers have difficulty teaching thecorrect pronunciation of new English vocabulary. The common way of teaching English pronunciationis to use CDs with recordings of the voices of native speakers (NSs). However, the speaking speed onthe CDs is too fast for introductory level students to understand new vocabulary. As students are usedto online video games with automated voices, it was predicted that an online speed-controlled resourcecould lower students' affective filters. Forty-five undergraduate students were divided into anexperimental group and a control group. During the 2015 spring semester, the new materials were usedin the experimental group, while the students in the control group listened to traditional audio materialsspoken by NSs. Before and after the treatment, both groups took pretests and posttests based on thelistening part of the TOEIC test. The results show that an interaction effect of the treatment was foundbetween the two groups (F (1,43)=4.92, p<.05), suggesting that the resource improved the students'English listening.