The Effectiveness of Online Text-To-Speech Tools in Improving EFL Students' Pronunciation

This study attempts to investigate the effectiveness of an online text-to-speech application in improving Turkish EFL students’ pronunciation as a pedagogical tool. Learners’ pronunciation is expected to be accurate and intelligible to ensure clear and successful communication, allowing for meaningful interaction with native speakers and enhancing overall language proficiency. This study aimed to explore a free web-based text-to-speech tool implemented in one class during a 4-week pronunciation training. The study was conducted with 14 university students in prep classes at a private university in Türkiye. The current investigation employed an experimental design with a pre-and post-test. Quantitative data were collected through a read-aloud test both for the pre-and the post-test. The investigation also aimed to shed light on university students’ perceptions regarding Text-to-speech training using the online application. The results indicate that the learners have shown improvement in their pronunciation on word level and students also expressed positive attitudes relating to the online text-to-speech application.