BLUE PRINT AND

INSTRUMENT

Title:

USING “COOL-EDIT PRO” TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ PRONUNCIATION SKILL

( A Classroom Action Research in the First Year Students of the English Department of Teacher Training and
Education Faculty of Veteran Bangun Nusantara University Sukoharjo in the Academic Year 2009/2010 )

CONTENT

1. Indicators and the Descriptions

• Pronunciation Problems ................................................1
• Classroom Situation .....................................................2
2. Blue print and Instrument ........................................................3
3. Scoring Rubric..........................................................................5
4. Teaching Scenario....................................................................6

By
Candra Lestianta Budiharja
Indicators
1. Pronunciation Problems

The problems are reflected from the following indicators: (1) students have difficulties to
differentiate short and long sounds consistently e.g: (/iy/- //, /ε/- /æ/, //-/a/); (2) they have
difficulties to produce some English consonant sounds, e.g: voiceless fricative and voiced
fricative (/f/ vs /v/ and //vs /ð/); (3) they produce inaccurate word stress; (4) they do not use
linking and insufficient rhythm; (5) they also produce some intonation error .

No Indicator
students have difficulties to
differentiate short and long
sounds consistently
Description
Students commit errors or make mistakes in pronouncing:
Front, High, tense-lax vowel /iy/ & / I/
Mid-Low, lax-tense /ε/ & /æ/
Back, high, tense-lax vowel / / & /uw/
Mid-Low, lax-tense //&/a:/

they have difficulties to Students commit errors or make mistakes in pronouncing:

produce some English
consonant sounds
Voiceless (labiodental) /v/
Voiceless (interdental) /θ/
Voiced (interdental) /ð/
Voiced (alveolar) /z/
Voiceless (alveopalatal) /  /
Voiced (alveopalatal) /  /

they produce inaccurate word Students commit errors to perform:

stress Schwa in unstressed syllable
Stress pattern
Compounds
Suffixes word

they do not use linking and
insufficient rhythm
Students commit errors to perform linking and sentence
stress in:
• Consonant to consonant
• Consonant to vowel
• Vowel to vowel
• Sounds that are shortened
• Content word
• Function word

they also produce some Students commit errors to perform:

intonation error • Statement (final rising-falling)
• Yes-No question (final rising)
• final rising-falling (Wh-question)
• final raising-falling and raising falling (Taq
question)
• Series (non final rising)
Indicators of Classroom situation

NO Indicators Description
The students did not • The students are occupied with their cell phone,
show much interest in • Updating and giving comment on their facebook account,
the lesson. • Doing mobile chatting,
• Talking to their friend,
• Drawing unnecessary thing,
• Not listening to the explanation

They have low • Tends to refuse the opportunity to be volunteer in

motivation, pronunciation class
• Do not have effort to perform totally,
• Participate the activities unenthusiastically
• They join pronunciation class only as a subject that
should be finished.

Pronunciation class is • They feel they produce so many incorrect English

fearful session to join. sounds.
• They are afraid to make mistake
• The other students will laugh at them if they pronounce
incorrect English sounds.
• They feel that they cannot produce correct English.

They have less • Do not practice outside the classroom/ at home

enthusiasm on • They do not enjoy their practice (always feel nervous)
pronunciation practice • They want to finish their performance as soon as
possible/ do not feel comfort
• Pronunciation performance is stressful activity for them

over-crowded • When one of students performs in front the classroom,

classrooms the others do not give him attention. They are worried
with their own task/ turn.
• The students who has finish the performance feel free to
discuss something else but pronunciation improvement
using their L1
• Over-crowded classrooms often leave little time for
teacher to focus on individual problems
 Blue Print

Indicators Scoring Instrument

Consonant
Voiceless (labiodental) /v/
Voiceless (interdental) /θ/
Voiced (interdental) /ð/
Voiced (alveolar) /z/
Voiceless (alveopalatal) / /
Voiced (alveopalatal) / /
Performance Perform the following dialogues.
A View on the valley
A: Has your family lived here for very long?
B: Five and a half years. We moved here on the
first of November.
The hat in the window
A: I’d like to buy the hat in the window.
B: There are three hats together in the window,
Madam. Do you want the one with feathers?

Television Program
A: What are you going to watch on television to
night?
B: “Treasure Island”

Vowel Performance Pronounce these following words;

Front, High, tense-lax vowel
Luk Foo Loc Led Bat
/iy/ & / I/
e l k
Mid-Low, lax-tense /ε/
& /æ/ Loo Bar Lea Lad Bet
Back, high, tense-lax vowel /Ω /
k d
& /uw/ Full Luc Lid Bea Bit
Mid-Low, lax-tense k t
vowel /Λ/&/a:/
Perform the following dialogues.
Dinner on the grass
Ben : Is dinner ready?
Ann : Yes, lets eat in the back yard.
Ben : Shall we sit on this seat?
Ann : Let’s sit on this mat on the grass.
Ben : Are we having chicken?
Ann : No, I made steak and salad.

Word Stress Performance 1. Pronounce these following words;

• Schwa in unstressed
Atlas Colleg Tulip Ancho minute
syllable
e r s
Stress pattern
Advic Escape Diseas contai suggest
Suffixes word
e e n
Compounds

Noun Verb

Produce Pervert produce Pervert

Record Convert Record Convert
 Present Conflict Present Conflict
Conduct Reject Conduct Reject
Contras Contrac Contras Contrac
t t t t

Read these sentences aloud

That’s a black board (a board that is black)
He works in a green house (a house that is green)
I saw a black bird (a bird that is black)

That’s a blackboard (a board for writing on)

He works in a greenhouse (a place to grow plant)
I saw a blackbird (a kid of bird)

Photograph Photography Photographic

possible Possibility
Democrat Democratic
Alphabet Alphabetical
Communicate communicatio
n
linking and rhythm Performance
• Consonant to 1. Perform the following dialogues.
consonant A: I saw Bob in the book store.
B: Did he buy that book about Atomic Energy?
• Consonant to vowel A: No. I think he bought a book about an energetic athlete
• Identical consonant
• Vowel to vowel 2. Read these sentences and phrases aloud:
• Sounds that are Put it down With thanks In a log cabin
shortened Throw it out Ice skating At a big zoo
Turn it Big girls That’s a bad
• Content word down judge
• Function word Be on time Pay up Blue angel
See it’s Way up A blow out
done north

Kids make noise The birds will have

eaten the worms
The kids make The birds will eat
noise the worms
The kids will make The birds eat the
noise worms
The kids are The birds eat worms
making noise
The kids have Birds eat worms
been making
noise

Intonation Performance
• Statement (final rising- 1. Perform the following dialogues.
 falling) A: Susan bought a new sweater.
• Yes-No question (final B: Are you sure? Where did you see her?
rising) She bought a skirt too, didn’t she?
• final rising-falling A: Yeah, I met her in the Rabinza. She bought
(Wh-question) shocks, skirts, and sweater.
• final raising-falling
(Taq question)
• Series (non final
rising)

Scoring Rubric

Indicators Scor
e
Consonant
Constant phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 1
Frequents phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 2
Some phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be occasionally 3
unintelligible
Occasion phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be occasionally 4
unintelligible

Vowels
Constant phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 1
Frequents phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 2
Some phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be occasionally 3
unintelligible
Occasion phonemics errors that cause the speaker to be occasionally 4
unintelligible

Stress
Constant foreign stress that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 1
Frequents foreign stress that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 2
Some foreign stress that cause the speaker to be occasionally unintelligible 3
Occasion foreign stress that cause the speaker to be occasionally unintelligible 4

Linking and Rhythm

Constant linking and rhythm errors that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 1
Frequents linking and rhythm errors that cause the speaker to be unintelligible 2
Some linking and rhythm errors that cause the speaker to be occasionally 3
unintelligible
Occasion linking and rhythm errors that cause the speaker to be occasionally 4
unintelligible

Intonation
Constant incorrect intonation pattern that cause the speaker to be 1
unintelligible
Frequents incorrect intonation pattern that cause the speaker to be 2
unintelligible
Some incorrect intonation pattern that cause the speaker to be occasionally 3
unintelligible
Occasion incorrect intonation pattern but the speaker to be occasionally 4
unintelligible

Maximum Score 20
Minimum Score 5

Score grade
5-8 E
8-11 D
11- C
14
14- B
17
17- A
20

TEACHING SCENARIO

Based on the planning, the activities will be conducted in three meeting with
systematic activities adapted from (Beckmann & Smith. 2005), as follows:

1). Introduction

• The teacher greets the students and checks the students’ attendance.
• Setting a context – students are shown a stimulus (such as a photo, video clip, item)
which acts as a context for a short written authentic text. .

2). Main activities

• Initial output – Using Cool Edit Pro Recording, learners read the short text onto a tape
(digital recording), it is typically 15-30 seconds long.

• Noticing own speech –in pair learners listen to their recording using Cool Edit Pro
Player and then analyze their pronunciation according to selected phonetic features. A
worksheet is provided with targeted questions for students to answer about
their pronunciation of certain items in the text.

• Model input – Learners are then given a recording of a model pronunciation of the text.
The text is converted using Cool Edit Pro Conversion from various sources (cassette,
CD, DVD, Radio, TV program, etc)
• Noticing model – With his friend, Learners analyze the model text for the
target pronunciation features, again with a worksheet provided.

• Noticing the gap – Using Cool Edit Pro Player learners compare their own
pronunciation with the model pronunciation, using their analyses sheet as a guide.
• Reformulation – learners practice and prepare for a second recording, aiming to correct
any errors they noticed.

• Informed output –Using Cool Edit Pro Learners record the text a second time.
• Reflection – learners compare their first and second recordings and comment on any
improvements or continued errors.
3) Closing
• Working in groups’ learners discuss their comment on any improvement and continue
errors in front of the class.

• The lecturer give homework to record the specific pronunciation features that need to
be develop. The students can use Cool Edit Pro Recording or using their headphone and
submit their digital recording using Bluetooth, USB flash-disk or E-mail.