THE EFFECTS OF PHONETIC SYMBOL-ASSISTED READING ON ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION ACCURACY AMONG THAI EFL LEARNERS

Abstract

This research examines the impact of English spelling and phonetic-symbol-supported reading on pronunciation precision in Thai students learning English as a foreign language (EFL). It especially investigates whether phonemic representations derived from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can mitigate pronunciation inaccuracies linked to irregular English spelling-to-sound correspondences. Twenty second-year Digital Business students from Prince of Songkhla University, Phuket Campus, participated in a three-week quasi-experimental study using a within-subjects repeated-measures design. Participants filled out a background questionnaire, underwent an IPA knowledge assessment, and took a pretest of 27 English words displayed solely in orthographic format. They thereafter underwent six sessions of phonetic-symbol training before taking a posttest featuring 27 novel words presented in three formats: Orthography Only, IPA Only, and Orthography plus IPA. Test materials encompassed standard vocabulary, irregular or orthographically ambiguous terms, and words featuring phonemes that may provide difficulties for Thai students. Pronunciation was captured in audio format and assessed independently by two evaluators using phoneme precision, overall word accuracy, and error examination. The results showed that, the average phoneme accuracy was 66.5% for Orthography Only, 82.9% for IPA Only, and 89.3% for Orthography + IPA, with the most significant enhancement noted for irregular terms. These results indicate that traditional English spelling may not furnish adequate information for precise phonological decoding, especially when spelling-to-sound correspondences are inconsistent. Phonemic representations can thus act as an auxiliary resource for enhancing pronunciation precision and facilitating autonomous decoding of novel English vocabulary.

Keywords: English Pronunciation, Phonetic Symbols, Orthographic Influence, Thai EFL Learners, Phonological Decoding