The Efficacy of English Movies in Developing Students' Pronunciation

Abstract

This study investigates the efficacy of English movies as an audiovisual pedagogical tool to enhance the pronunciation skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. Employing a pre-experimental research design, the study involved 14 third-semester students from the English Education Study Program at Universitas Muhammadiyah Palu. Data were collected through pre- and post-tests focusing on suprasegmental pronunciation features, supplemented by a post-intervention questionnaire to evaluate students' perceptions. Quantitative analysis revealed a highly significant improvement in pronunciation accuracy following the intervention, with mean scores increasing from 35.0 to 63.28 (). Questionnaire data corroborated these empirical gains, indicating that learners found the authentic audiovisual input highly engaging and effective in lowering their affective filter, which in turn boosted their speaking confidence and facilitated the imitation of native pronunciation. Despite these significant overall improvements, the study noted that 42% of the participants still faced challenges in distinguishing phonetically similar words. The findings conclude that while English movies serve as a highly effective and motivating medium for developing macro-level pronunciation skills, integrating explicit phonetic instruction may be necessary to address micro-level phonemic discrimination. These insights provide valuable implications for designing authentic, media-integrated pronunciation curricula in EFL contexts.