By Nurul Hidayanti, M.Pd
SMK Negeri 4 Balikpapan
- Background of the Problem
The issue at hand is the difficulty in pronunciation during conversations in English for Special Purposes; Front Office (Reservation, Reception, and Bellboy) learning in the Hospitality department classes that I teach, which are prepared for working in the tourism industry, particularly in hotel accommodation. The learning outcome of competencies in Phase F is to be able to use English as a communication language in the job as a Hotelier. The practice I employ in teaching is using the Spell and Pronunciation application downloaded from the Play Store to smartphones.
Why is this practice important for students? Because during the learning process, from initial observation, 80% of the 35 students experience difficulty in pronouncing some English words found in conversations. Out of the 35 students, 3 are special needs students. During the English language learning process, specifically for Front Office, there are several errors in pronouncing words in conversations as a Reservationist, Receptionist, and Bellboy. This occurs because students are introduced to new words but have very little practice in correct English pronunciation.
As a teacher, I face difficulty in teaching pronunciation with a large number of students, so I implement the Spell and Pronunciation application for students, with the aim that they can practice anytime and anywhere comfortably.
II. Challenges
The challenges in achieving this goal are; Firstly, students not paying attention to instructions to practice pronunciation using the spell and pronunciation application, even though they have downloaded the application on their phones. Secondly, students not practicing with their group mates seriously. Thirdly, students relying on conversation scripts that should be memorized. Fourthly, there are three special needs students in the class.
III. Real Action
The steps taken to address the first challenge are: I, as a facilitator, ask students to discuss again to solve the problem they face in pronunciation by applying the spell and pronunciation application if they encounter difficulty in pronouncing difficult words. Secondly, I provide opportunities for practicing together using the role-sharing or Role Play strategy. The third step is to motivate students that the purpose of this learning will be their asset in working in the hotel industry, so by memorizing sentences according to the roles assigned in groups, they train themselves to speak naturally later. Fourthly, providing extra time to give special needs students the opportunity to practice.
IV. Reflection on Results and Impact
The impact of the implemented actions is that students can practice more than the class learning schedule, which only lasts twice a week, with each session being only 90 minutes long. By suggesting downloading the spell and pronunciation application, students can practice anytime and anywhere. In this application, learners can practice pronunciation, translate words or sentences from Indonesian to English. The result is very effective because during the reflection session, students gave positive feedback about the benefits of the spell and pronunciation application. Special needs students also feel involved and confident that they can practice with other general students. When I asked about their experience practicing pronunciation using the application, they felt very helped and wondered why they only knew about it now.
The success factor of the applied strategy is that general and special needs students are greatly helped by applying the application. Special needs students are actively involved in groups without feeling awkward in role-playing as reservationists, receptionists, or bellboys. Students experience a different atmosphere, feel better communicating in Edotel, the hotel in the school where Hospitality students’ practice.
The lesson learned from this Best Practice is that applying digital technology can facilitate language learning. With digital learning, students can learn beyond space and time. The learning model applied is Role Play, so students feel challenged to use English naturally, learning in a place suitable for the workplace they are going to. Learning English using applications can help solve problems students face.
The results of the questionnaire given to students after implementing learning using the Speel and Pronunciation application are as follows:
- Are you satisfied with the user interface of the Spell and Pronunciation application?
• Out of a total of 35 respondents, 25 people (83.33%) answered YES, while 5 people (16.67%) answered NO. This shows that the majority of users are satisfied with the application’s user interface.
- Do you feel this application is effective in helping you improve spelling of English words?
• Again, out of a total of 35 respondents, 25 people (83.33%) answered YES, while 5 people (16.67%) answered NO. This shows that the majority of users feel that this application is effective in helping them improve their English spelling.
3.Do you feel this application helps you improve your pronunciation of English words?
• The results are the same as the previous question, with 25 people (83.33%) answering YES, while 5 people (16.67%) answered NO. This shows that the majority of users feel that the application helps them improve their English pronunciation.
- Do you feel this application responds quickly enough to provide pronunciation corrections or guidance?
• Out of a total of 35 respondents, 23 people (76.67%) said YES, while 7 people (23.33%) said NO. This shows that the majority of users feel that the application responds quickly enough, although there is still a small portion who disagree.
- Did you encounter any difficulties in using this application?
• Out of a total of 35 respondents, 19 people (63.33%) experienced difficulties, while 11 people (36.67%) did not encounter difficulties. This indicates that the majority of respondents experienced some difficulties in using the application.
- Does this application meet your expectations in helping improve spelling and pronunciation in English?
• The vast majority, 28 people (93.33%), feel that this application meets their expectations in helping improve spelling and pronunciation in English.
- Are you inclined to continue using this application in the future?
• Out of a total of 35 respondents, 20 people (66.67%) said YES, while 10 people (33.33%) said NO. This shows that the majority of users are inclined to continue using this application in the future.
- Would you recommend the Spell and Pronunciation application to your friends or colleagues?
• Out of a total of 35 respondents, 24 people (80%) are willing to recommend this application to their friends or colleagues, while 6 people (20%) are not willing to do so.
By looking at these more detailed results, you can get a better understanding of how users respond to the Spell and Pronunciation application overall.
From the answers provided, there are various reasons why respondents are willing or unwilling to recommend the Spell and Pronunciation application to their friends or colleagues:
Reasons for recommending:
• The application’s ability to correct pronunciation or spelling mistakes.
• Aid in learning English.
• Conclusion that the application is very useful.
• Can help in speaking and writing English.
• The application can help the recommended person to sharpen their English skills.
• The presence of friends who do not yet understand English well.
• Ease of use and usefulness of the application.
• Suitable for learning via smartphone.
• Can help in practicing English.
• This application can help in understanding and pronouncing English vocabulary.
Reasons for not recommending:
• Lack of interest because the application is considered uninteresting.
• The possibility that friends prefer to use Google Translate rather than this application.
• Perception that the application is difficult to use and experiences technical issues such as delayed response and lag on devices.
• Lack of understanding or never trying the application.
By considering these various reasons, it can be concluded that the success of recommending this application is influenced by a number of factors, including the quality and user-friendliness of the application as well as the personal preferences of each individual.
