From Anxiety to Agency: A Blended Learning Prosody Intervention Boosts Speaking and Listening Confidence in Thai EFL Learners
Keywords:
Prosody, English as a Foreign Language, Blended Learning, Self-EfficacyAbstract
This study investigated the impact of a blended learning prosodic training intervention on the self-efficacy of Thai EFL learners. It addresses a key research gap: the lack of evidence on how prosodic training influences the speaking and listening confidence of Thai learners. Employing Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory as a theoretical framework, the study examined the impact of a 14-week blended course focusing on elements such as stress, rhythm, and thought groups, on the speaking and listening confidence of 157 first-year English majors. A sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach comprising surveys and stratified purposive interviews were employed. Quantitative analysis revealed significant enhancements in learners' speaking confidence (p < .001, r = .57), indicating that prosodic education directly boosts self-efficacy by providing students with effective language strategies to alleviate anxiety and enhance communicative skills. This study establishes explicit prosodic instruction as a high-impact strategy for transforming the EFL experience in Thailand, compelling a re-evaluation of curriculum design to address a critical affective gap.
References
Baker, A., & Burri, M. (2023). The role of prior pronunciation instruction and musical ability in the acquisition of L2 pronunciation. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 9(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.22038.bak
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Choi, J., & Kang, J. (2023). The effects of prosody-based instruction on L2 pronunciation: A meta-analysis. System, 115, 103047. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103047
Jarunthawatch, W. (2020). The effects of blended learning instruction on Thai EFL undergraduates' listening comprehension of English reduced forms. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 13(2), 369–389. https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/LEARN/article/view/253282
Lee, B., Plonsky, L., & Saito, K. (2019). The effects of perception- vs. production-based pronunciation instruction. System, 88, 102185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2019.102185
Levis, J. M. (2018). Intelligibility, oral communication, and the teaching of pronunciation. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108241564
Li, J., Wang, C., Zhao, Y., & Li, Y. (2024). Boosting learners' confidence in learning English: Can self-efficacy-based intervention make a difference? TESOL Quarterly, 58(4), 1518–1547. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.3292
Li, X. (2022). Technology-enhanced pronunciation instruction: A review. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 35(4), 587–612. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2022.2039192
Luu, T. T. (2021). The role of prosodic features in L2 comprehensibility and accentedness: A critical review. Journal of Language and Education, 7(3), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.10759
McAndrews, M. (2023). The effects of prosodic instruction on L2 oral fluency and comprehensibility [Doctoral dissertation, Carnegie Mellon University]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
Sardegna, V. G., & Kusey, C. (2014). The effectiveness of prosody instruction for improving learners’ pronunciation. Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, 1(1), 71–93. https://doi.org/10.1075/jslp.1.1.04sar
Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 129–158. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/11.2.129
Tantiwich, K., & Sinwongsuwat, K. (2021). Thai university students’ problems of language use in English conversation. LEARN Journal: Language Education and Acquisition Research Network, 14(2), 598–626.
Trakulkasemsuk, W., & Lopairoj, P. (2022). English language education in Thailand: A decade of challenges and changes. rEFLections, 29(2), 143–165. https://doi.org/10.61508/refl.v29i2.262162
Tridinanti, G. (2018). The correlation between speaking anxiety, self-confidence, and speaking achievement of undergraduate EFL students of private university in Palembang. International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, 6(4), 35–39. https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijels.v.6n.4p.35
Yenkimaleki, M., & van Heuven, V. J. (2021). The effect of prosody instruction on listening comprehension and speaking anxiety of interpreter trainees: An experimental study. Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, 50, 913–927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-021-09766-3
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Kasetsart Educational Review
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
บทความทุกบทความเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของวารสารคณะศึกษาศาสตร์ มหาวิทยาลัยเกษตรศาสตร์ วิทยาเขตบางเขน
วารสารศึกษาศาสตร์ปริทัศน์ (Kasetsart Educational Review)
