DEVELOPMENT OF LEARNING PACKAGE ON THAI PRONUNCIATION SKILLS THROUGH PHONICS APPROACH AND FIDEL CHARTS AIDS FOR VIETNAMESE LEARNERS

Abstract

This research aimed to 1) Study and analyze Thai pronunciation problems among Vietnamese learners; 2) develop a Thai pronunciation learning package using a Phonics approach and Fidel Charts; and 3) to investigate the Thai pronunciation performance of Vietnamese learners after practicing with the developed learning package. The research instruments included: 1) lesson plans, 2) A Fidel Chart, 3) Pronunciation practice exercises, and 4) Pre-test and post-test assessments. The data were statistically analyzed using a t-test and the Effectiveness Index (E.I.). The research findings revealed that 1) The primary pronunciation problem stemmed from the inability to differentiate similar sounds. Consequently, the researcher utilized these findings to design the learning package, focusing on initial single consonants and consonant clusters, including the sounds /p/, /ph/, /j/, /ch/, /y/, /s/, /pr/, /pl/, /phr/, /phl/, and /phl/. Additionally, problems were identified in differentiating short and long vowels, pronouncing the falling tone, and confusing final consonant pairs between /k/ and /t/, as well as /ng/ and /n/. 2) The learners' Thai pronunciation achievement post-test mean score was 205.50 (S.D. = 5.45), which was significantly higher than the pre-test mean score of 144.50 (S.D. = 14.53) at the statistical significance level of .05 (t = 10.99). 3) The Effectiveness Index (E.I.) of the learning package was 0.8079, demonstrating that the learners’ learning progress increased by 80.79% of the potential improvement after practicing with the developed learning packages.