Demonstrating Reading Aloud in Improving EFL Student’s Pronunciation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29240/ef.v9i2%20November.14855Keywords:
Reading aloud, Pronunciation, EFL LearnersAbstract
The pronunciation of the English phonemes /ʃ/, /ð/ and /θ/ remains challenging for EFL learners in Indonesia due to the absence of these sounds in the Indonesian Phonological system. A preliminary study conducted with eleventh-grade students at SMK Al-Mu’ien revealed that the average pronunciation score was only 46.97, which was far below the minimum criterian of succes (70). This classroom action research aimed to determine how to improve students’ pronunciation by applying the Reading Aloud technique to XI grade students at SMK Al-Mu’ien in Jember. Data were collected through a pronunciation test to measure students' accuracy in pronouncing 51 targeted phonemes. Classroom observations were done to document the application of the Reading Aloud technique during each cycle. The data were then analyzed quantitatively to evaluate the improvements the students have made in their pronunciation and to capture how the learning process has taken place. The finding continuous improvement from the preliminary study (46.97) to Cycle 1 (53.58) and Cycle 2 (66.36), with 63.63% of students achieving the success criteria. The result suggest that the use of Reading Aloud, supported by teacher modeling, corrective feedback, and repetitive practice can significantly enhance students’ pronunciation. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on pronunciation teaching and highlights the pedagogical value of Reading Aloud for EFL learners.
Downloads
References
Akbari, Z. (2015). Current Challenges in Teaching/Learning English for EFL Learners: The Case of Junior High School and High School. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 199, 394–401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.524
Anjani, R. P. W., Wahyuni, H. I. W., Nugraheni, M. P. P., & Bram, B. B. B. (2023). Problematic English Consonant Sounds for Indonesian EFL Learners. Journey: Journal of English Language and Pedagogy, 6(3), 592–604. https://doi.org/10.33503/journey.v6i3.708
Antaris, I., & Omolu, F. A. (2019). Factors Affecting Pronunciation Difficulties of 8th Grade Students of MTSN Palu Barat. Journal of Foreign Language and Educational Research, 2(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.31934/jofler.v2i2.1349
Arsi, A. K., Farahdiba, S., & Ariyani, A. (2025). The Influence of Pronunciation on Students’ Speaking Confidence. Journal of Excellence in English Language Education, 4(1, January), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.26858/joeele.v4i1
Badawi, A. M. M., Alnour, N. T. B., Alamin, M., & Sanhori, S. B. (2021). The Role of Reading Aloud Strategy on Improving Reading and Pronunciation for Efl Pupils at Private Basic Schools: Teachers Perspectives. LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching, 24(2), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.v24i2.2910
Bibyana, B., & Edi, S. (2023). IMPROVING STUDENT PRONUNCIATION SKILL THROUGH READING ALOUD AT 8TH GRADE STUDENTS OF SMP WIDURI JAYA JAKARTA. SECONDARY: Jurnal Inovasi Pendidikan Menengah, 3(3), 237–244. https://doi.org/10.51878/secondary.v3i3.2396
Celce-Murcia, M., Brinton, D. M., & Goodwin, J. M. (2010). Teaching Pronunciation Hardback with Audio CDs (2): A Course Book and Reference Guide. Cambridge University Press.
Djiwandono, M. S. (2008). Tes Bahasa: Pegangan bagi Para Pengajar Bahasa. PT Indeks.
Djuhari, A. R., & Faridah, D. (2024). The Impact of Repetitive Methods to Enhance Students’ Pronunciation in The Post-Pandemic. Journal of English Education Program (JEEP), 11(2), 115. https://doi.org/10.25157/(jeep).v11i2.15476
Dörnyei, Z. (Ed.). (2001). Background knowledge. In Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom (pp. 5–30). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511667343.002
Gibson, S. (2008). Reading aloud: A useful learning tool? ELT Journal, 62(1), 29–36. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/ccm075
Hamzah, A., Rauf, W., Haq, M. Z. U., & Nur, A. M. (2025). An Experimental Study on the Role of Narrative Text in Enhancing Student Motivation in Reading Comprehension. Jurnal Edukasi Saintifik, 5(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.56185/jes.v5i1.850
Hancock, M. (2012). English Pronunciation in Use Intermediate with Answers. Cambridge University Press.
Huang, L. (2010). Reading Aloud in the Foreign Language Teaching. Asian Social Science, 6(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5539/ass.v6n4p148
Kemmis, S., McTaggart, R., & Nixon, R. (2014). The Action Research Planner. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-4560-67-2
Kenworthy, J. (1987). Teaching English Pronunciation. Longman.
Latifah, R., & Apsari, Y. (2024b). LEARNING PHONEME IDENTIFICATION USING READING ALOUD TECHNIQUE: EFL LEARNERS’ PERCEPTION. PROJECT (Professional Journal of English Education), 7(6), 1250–1256.
Mahdi, D., & Saadany, N. E. (2013). Oral Feedback in the EFL classroom.
Mardiah, A., Safitri, L., Eliza, E., & Syahrul, S. (2024). Improving Students Ability in Pronunciation Through Reading Aloud for the 8th Grade of SMPN 2 Bukittinggi. Continuous Education: Journal of Science and Research, 5(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.51178/ce.v5i2.2038
Merrita, D. (2021). PRONUNCIATON ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH CONSONANTS /θ/ AND /ð/ BY ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STUDENTS. Lingua: Jurnal Ilmiah, 17(2), 26–44.
Ninsuwan, P. (2015). The Effectiveness of Teaching English by Using Reading Aloud Technique towards EFL Beginners. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 197, 1835–1840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.07.243
Purwanto, M. N. (2000). Prinsip-prinsip dan teknik evaluasi pengajaran. Remaja Rosdakarya.
Radant, H.-L. H. J., James, H., & Huang, H. (2009). Chinese phonotactic patterns and the pronunciation difficulties of Mandarin-Speaking EFL learners. The Asian EFL Journal Quarterly, 11(4), 115.
Syiyami, I. A., Haryanti, E., Nurwanti, D. I., & Kurniawati, N. (2021). The Use of Reading Aloud Method to Improve Students’ Speaking Ability: Indonesian Secondary School. 250–256. https://www.scitepress.org/PublicationsDetail.aspx?ID=pO/hA8X0dDA=&t=1
Trysnawati, I., Mulyani, S., & Syam, A. (2020). Error Analysis on English Consonant Pronunciation Produced By The Fifth Semester Students of English Education Department. Tamaddun, 19(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.33096/tamaddun.v19i2.77
Waheeb S. Albiladi. (2019). Teaching English Pronunciation Revisited: The Challenges of Teaching Efl in Non-English-Speaking Countries. European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching. https://doi.org/10.5281/ZENODO.3566658
Wahyuni, P. (2022). The Effect of Teaching Reading Aloud Technique in Improving English Pronunciation. EBONY: Journal of English Language Teaching, Linguistics, and Literature, 2(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.37304/ebony.v2i1.4041
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Arifatul Latifah, Kristi Nuraini, Henri Fatkurochman, Diki Wahyudi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).






