Changes in pronunciation performance after structured tongue-twister practice among fourth-grade EFL learners in Ambato, Ecuador

Abstract

Recurring difficulties in producing the English phonemes /?/, /?/, and /?/ were observed among the participating fourth-grade EFL learners. This study examined changes in learners’ pronunciation performance after a structured tongue-twister intervention focused on these target phonemes. A quantitative one-group quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design was used with 25 students from a private educational institution in Ambato, Ecuador. The intervention consisted of ten 25-minute classroom sessions conducted over three weeks, progressing from target-word practice to increasingly complex tongue twisters. Pronunciation was assessed through an adapted listener-based rubric measuring comprehensibility, accentedness, and intelligibility. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and paired-samples t tests. Mean comprehensibility decreased from 3.64 to 2.56, accentedness decreased from 3.64 to 2.48, and intelligibility increased from 55.50% to 78.50%. Differences were statistically significant across all three dimensions (p < .001). Overall, learners demonstrated more favorable pronunciation performance after the intervention. However, because the study included only one group and no control group, the observed changes cannot be attributed exclusively to tongue-twister practice.