Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Spoken Dialogue Technology For L2 Speaking Practice: What Do Teachers Think?, Veronika Timpe-Laughlin, Tetyana Sydorenko, Phoebe Daurio

Applied Linguistics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Often, second/foreign (L2) language learners receive little opportunity to interact orally in the target language. Interactive, conversation-based spoken dialog systems (SDSs) that use automated speech recognition and natural language processing have the potential to address this need by engaging learners in meaningful, goal-oriented speaking practice. However, these technology-based learning tools are often developed without input from teaching professionals. As part of a larger development effort, this study examined English as a second language (ESL) teachers’ perceptions regarding SDS-based speaking tasks, addressing the following research questions: (a) What do teachers think about the SDS-based tasks? (b) How would they use them …