Lucky Puput Hidayah, Yuliati

Spotify’s effectiveness in improving 7th grade students’ pronunciation

Introduction

Spotify’s effectiveness in improving 7th grade students’ pronunciation. This study evaluates Spotify's effectiveness in improving 7th-grade students' English pronunciation. An experimental design showed scores increased significantly from 60.81 to 78.12.

Abstract

The ability to pronounce words correctly is a crucial component of learning a language for those seeking to acquire proficiency in the language. Proper pronunciation is essential for ensuring your message is clear and comprehensible to listeners. Many Indonesian students have problems pronouncing English words. It was found that the words are pronounced as they are written in the text. This is because Indonesian and English have different pronunciation systems. The objective of this study is the investigation of the effectiveness of using Spotify for the improvement of students’ pronunciation by means of the teaching of receptive skills. The use of Spotify, with its features to support receptive skills, was implemented by the researchers. The features include sound for listening and lyrics for reading. The approach of this research is an experimental study, which means that it is a research study that uses an experimental design and is typically done in a laboratory setting. An experimental study is a method used to investigate the effects of treatments under controlled conditions. The mean score of the pretest was 60.81, and the mean score of the posttest rose to 78.12 after using the Spotify application. The results show a marked improvement in pronunciation.

Review

This study addresses a highly relevant and practical challenge in language education: improving pronunciation, particularly for Indonesian students grappling with the distinct phonological systems of English and their native tongue. The central objective, investigating Spotify's effectiveness in enhancing 7th-grade students' pronunciation, is clearly articulated. The researchers are commended for exploring an innovative, widely accessible digital tool like Spotify, with its inherent features supporting listening and reading, as a potential pedagogical intervention. The reported preliminary results, showing a notable increase in mean scores from pretest to posttest, suggest a promising direction for technology-enhanced language learning. However, the abstract presents several methodological aspects that require significant elaboration and clarification in the full paper. While the study is described as an "experimental study" using an "experimental design," the subsequent definition conflates this with a "laboratory setting," which may not accurately reflect a classroom-based intervention. Crucially, the abstract lacks essential details about the experimental design itself, such as the presence or absence of a control group, the duration of the intervention, the sample size, and the specific statistical analyses employed beyond mean scores. It's imperative to understand how "the teaching of receptive skills" directly translates into improved *productive* pronunciation, as this link is not explicitly detailed. Further information on the specific Spotify content utilized (e.g., type of music, podcasts, educational materials) and how students were instructed to engage with the "sound for listening and lyrics for reading" features would also strengthen the methodological transparency. Despite these areas needing further detail, the study's premise holds considerable potential. The full manuscript should meticulously describe the experimental setup, including participant recruitment, the intervention protocol (e.g., frequency, duration, specific activities), and the instruments used for measuring pronunciation. A robust statistical analysis, beyond simple mean comparisons, is essential to establish the significance and reliability of the reported improvement. Addressing potential confounding variables, discussing limitations, and exploring the broader implications for integrating digital platforms into language pedagogy would further enhance the paper's contribution. If these methodological gaps are thoroughly addressed, this research could offer valuable insights into leveraging popular technology for targeted language skill development.

Full Text

Comments

You need to be logged in to post a comment.