Slions

Abstract

Singing songs can be an engaging and effective activity when learning a foreign language. In this paper, we describe a multi-language karaoke application called SLIONS: Singing and Listening to Improve Our Natural Speaking. When developing this application, we followed a user-centered design process which was informed by conducting interviews with domain experts, extensive usability testing, and reviewing existing gamified karaoke and language learning applications. The key feature of SLIONS is that we used automatic speech recognition (ASR) to provide students with personalized, granular feedback based on their singing pronunciation. We also provided multi-modal instruction: audio of music and singing tracks, video of a professional singer and translated text of lyrics to help students learn and master each song in the foreign language. To test the efficacy of SLIONS, we conducted a one-week pilot study with English and Chinese language learning students (N=15). The initial quantitative results show that our application can improve pronunciation and may improve vocabulary. In addition, the qualitative feedback from the students suggests that SLIONS is both fun to use and motivates students to practice speaking and singing in a foreign language. CCS CONCEPTS• Human Computer Interaction (HCI); • Ubiquitous and Mobile Computing;

Using Challenges to Enhance a Learning Game for Pronunciation Training of English as a Second Language

“…In Danowska-Florczyk and Motowski [69], the Polish language is taught as a user role-based game, in which its complex grammar system and lexical problems are presented to learners as tasks and activities. There are other innovative ways of pronunciation teaching with gamification, such as a multi-language karaoke application, SLIONS [70], or a recursive dialogue game for personalized pronunciation training [71].…”

“…Most of the time, however, the result is a simple binary output, reporting whether the user correctly performed or failed the activity [69], [73], [74]. In Murad et al [70], an overall score (0 to 100) from a user's karaoke performance is shown to the learner. In the ''Say It Again, Kid!''…”

Design and evaluation of mobile computer-assisted pronunciation training tools for second language learning

“…In [118], a CAPT game for practicing Dutch oral and grammar skills based on speaking practice and feedback is reported. There are other innovative ways of pronunciation teaching with gamification, such as a multi-language karaoke application, SLIONS [151] or a recursive dialogue game for a personalized pronunciation training [152]. The previously mentioned studies and applications share game design elements which can be classified into [153]:…”

“…In particular for pronunciation training, this important resource could be used to assess the goodness of the user interaction and to measure the user proficiency [150], [154], [155]. For instance, in [151], an overall score (0 to 100) from a user's karaoke performance is shown to the learner. Besides, points can involve the accomplishment of user's levels and badges and can lead to earning rewards in Duolingo and Babbel.…”

“…Badges display symbols or messages that represent user achievements. They are intended not only for informing user's about their performance but also to motivate them to keep on training [149], [151], [152]. For instance, in [150], "The Lord of Memory" badge is given to a student who remembered most of new words of previous classes.…”