Spoken Word Form Recognition with a Mobile Application: Comparing Azerbaijani and Japanese Learners

Abstract

To develop adequate levels of automaticity in second language (L2) word recognition learners need to engage with a large amount of meaningful spoken target language input. Unfortunately, there is often not enough in-class time available for this. Thus, using technology to facilitate out-of-class development of L2 word recog-nition holds strong potential. This study explores and compares the use of a mobile language learning application (app) by Azerbaijani and Japanese learners of English. The app was designed to improve second language (L2) learners’ recognition of the spoken form of high-frequency vocabulary by giving learners repeated and self-paced opportunities to listen to and transcribe target words presented in fluently articulated, contextual sentences. First, a quasi-experimental approach was applied in both contexts to compare improvements in word recognition among those who used the app and those in a control group that did not. Next, learner interaction data collected in the app’s database were used to investigate links between learner engagement and improvements in word recognition. Further, the most challenging words for learners to recognize and transcribe were identified and compared between treatment group members from each context. Finally, stimulated recall protocols in the learners’ respective first languages (L1) were conducted among a subgroup from each context to investigate the origins of their difficulty with aurally recognizing their most challenging words. Suggestions are provided for the development of word recognition from speech that may be useful both within and beyond the classroom.