Speaker
Description
With the rise of artificial intelligence in education, innovative tools such as AI-generated songs are gaining attention for their potential to enhance second/foreign language pronunciation instruction. This qualitative study explores how Vietnamese high school EFL teachers integrate AI-generated songs into communicative pronunciation teaching and examines the perceptions of both teachers and students regarding this integration. Data were collected through classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with six EFL teachers, and focus group interviews with 24 students (four students per group) from a high school in Vietnam. A content-based approach was adopted to analyze the qualitative data. The findings reveal that the teachers incorporated AI-generated songs containing the target pronunciation elements in the controlled practice stage in the communicative pronunciation teaching framework proposed by Celce-Murcia et al.’s (2010), primarily to provide learners with repetitive, rhythm-based input for practicing segmental and suprasegmental features such as word stress, intonation, and linking sounds. The findings further show that both teachers and students reported generally positive perceptions of AI-generated songs as they had the potentials to create intriguing pronunciation lessons, increase the students’ interests and motivation to learn pronunciation and enhance the learners’ listening and speaking abilities. On the other hand, some factors were supposed to hinder the use of AI-generated songs in communicative pronunciation teaching including teachers’ limited digital literacy, inadequate institutional support, and concerns regarding the authenticity and naturalness of AI-generated songs. The study concludes with a discussion about implications for second language pronunciation teaching and learning.
Biography
Que Anh Chung obtained a Master of Education in TESOL from Edith Cowan University in Australia. In the present, she serves as an EFL teacher at Sai Gon University in Vietnam. She has accumulated more than 5 years of experience in teaching English to EFL learners across a wide range of age groups, from children to adults. Her research focuses on pronunciation instruction, teacher professional development, and AI-assisted language teaching and learning.
