Improving Pre-service students'Pronunciation with Shadowing Technique

This study investigates the effectiveness of the shadowing technique in enhancing pronunciation skills among pre-service teachers at the Universidad Técnica Estatal de Quevedo, Ecuador. Recognizing the persistent challenges that Ecuadorian EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners face in acquiring proficient and intelligible pronunciation, this research focuses on applying the shadowing technique to improve their overall oral communication abilities. Shadowing, which involves the immediate repetition of heard speech, has gained attention for its potential to develop listening and speaking skills simultaneously. By employing a quasi-experimental design, the study enlisted 39 pre-service teachers who engaged in a structured ten-week shadowing intervention program. Participants were divided into control and experimental groups, with the latter partaking in intensive shadowing sessions based on curated audiovisual materials that reflected authentic spoken English. Pre-test and post-test assessments were conducted to measure changes in pronunciation using a comprehensive rubric that evaluated intelligibility, articulation of individual sounds, word and sentence stress, rhythm, and intonation patterns. Results indicated statistically significant improvements in all phonological aspects among the experimental group, surpassing those observed in the control group. This study contributes to the growing body of empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of shadowing as a pedagogical tool, especially for EFL contexts, and highlights its value in pronunciation-focused language instruction.