Does Reading Aloud Improve Foreign Language Learners’ Speaking Ability?

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to find ways to enhance foreign language students’ speaking ability. Many such students are anxious about speaking the target language because they are conscious of their imperfect pronunciation and feel strange about their own voice pronouncing the unfamiliar sound. This paper is to explore whether the practice of reading aloud in the classroom addresses this problem. The result shows that reading aloud activity can improve students’ pronunciation of the target language and eventually it helps enhancing students’ speaking ability.