Jen-Yu Pai & Dr. Teng-lung Peng, National Yunlin University of Science & Technology, Taiwan
While the relationship between the shadowing practice and listening acquisition in the field of second language learning has been widely probed, the effects of the shadowing practice on language learners’ supra-segmental acquisition is seldom paid attention in Taiwan. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the effects of the shadowing practice on EFL adult language learners’ supra-segmental acquisition through experimenting with a group of 39 adult participants, who were pursuing their bachelor’s or master’s degree in a technological university in central Taiwan. The data collected include the perception questionnaire, the pre- and post- tests, and in-depth individual interviews. Based on the quantitative data (questionnaire and pre- /post-tests) analyzed, the research findings suggest that after the shadowing practice, the participants indeed became more aware of their English speaking ability and proficiency, especially in terms of sentence stress and sentence linking. In conclusion, the participants made improvement in four evaluated aspects -- word stress, sentence stress, word linking, and sentence linking. In addition, based on the researcher’s in-depth interviews with 10 participants, the researcher offered some suggestions for both teachers and language learners who might be interested in the instruction and learning of the shadowing practice in the future.
The above abstract is a part of the article which was accepted at The International Conference on Current Issues of Languages, Dialects and Linguistics (WWW.LLLD.IR), 2-3 February 2017, Iran-Ahwaz.