This research looks into the pronunciation mistakes that keep appearing in Technical Oral Presentations by Malaysian undergraduates taking an English for Technical Communication class at a Malaysian technical university. Applying an Action Research approach based on the Error Analysis model, the study used rubric-based observation during live presentation evaluations to track words that were mispronounced, examples include “presentation”, “hour”, and “high”—without making audio recordings. The mistakes were sorted into two types: segmental ones (like silent letters, diphthongs) and suprasegmental ones (such as word stress patterns). Based on what was found initially, a specific pronunciation improvement activity including correction exercises and feedback was carried out. A second round of presentations showed a clear decrease in major pronunciation issues, especially in segmental accuracy and where the stress was placed in words. These findings indicate that immediate, rubric-guided feedback can be a successful way to improve learners’ clear speaking in English for Specific Purposes (ESP) situations. The research offers both useful methods for teaching pronunciation and new ways of thinking about using error analysis in classroom tests to help ESP students with technical communication.

Authors:
Khairul Amri Abdul Aziz, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia
Nazikussabah Zaharudin, Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah, Malaysia

About the Presenter(s)
Mr Khairul Amri Abdul Aziz is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah in Malaysia

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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