Using Google Docs Mobile Application for Autonomous Pronunciation Practice in a Japanese University EFL Program

This study investigates the use of Google Docs mobile app to improve students’ pronunciation and explores potential effects on their autonomy, self-efficacy beliefs, and motivation for pronunciation practice. The participants were 71 Japanese university freshmen enrolled in a compulsory Basic Speaking class for a 16-week semester. Pre- and post-surveys were used to measure the attitudes and opinions of both the treatment group (n=50) and control group (n=21), while pre- and post-assessments were employed to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The results showed that there was statistically significant improvement of pronunciation between the pre- and post-assessments of the treatment group, suggesting that the intervention was successful in improving participants’ pronunciation. However, the survey results indicated no significant differences between groups in autonomy, self-efficacy beliefs, or motivation pre- and post-intervention. This highlights the need to couple technology tools with explicit strategies and support for promoting autonomy, self-efficacy, and motivation.