Improving Pronunciation Skills Through the Use of “Stimuler” Application Among Second Semester English Department Students at IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro

Abstract

abstrak—Pronunciation merupakan salah satu keterampilan penting dalam pembelajaran bahasa Inggris karena berperan dalam keberhasilan komunikasi lisan. Namun, banyak mahasiswa masih mengalami kesulitan dalam mengucapkan bunyi bahasa Inggris secara tepat akibat perbedaan sistem bunyi bahasa ibu dan kurangnya latihan yang intensif. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektivitas penggunaan aplikasi berbasis Artificial Intelligence (AI) bernama Stimuler dalam meningkatkan kemampuan pronunciation mahasiswa semester dua Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kuantitatif dengan desain pre-experimental berupa one-group pre-test and post-test design. Data dikumpulkan melalui tes pronunciation yang diberikan sebelum dan sesudah perlakuan. Aspek yang dinilai meliputi accuracy, intonation, stress and rhythm, serta fluency. Data dianalisis menggunakan perhitungan rata-rata dan uji paired sample t-test. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan adanya peningkatan kemampuan pronunciation mahasiswa setelah menggunakan aplikasi Stimuler. Peningkatan terlihat pada ketepatan pengucapan, intonasi, kelancaran berbicara, serta berkurangnya kesalahan bunyi segmental. Hasil uji statistik menunjukkan nilai signifikansi (p-value) < 0,05, yang mengindikasikan adanya perbedaan signifikan antara nilai pre-test dan post-test. Dengan demikian, aplikasi Stimuler terbukti efektif dalam meningkatkan kemampuan pronunciation mahasiswa dan dapat digunakan sebagai alternatif media pembelajaran berbasis AI di perguruan tinggi.

Kata kunci—Pronunciation Skills, Artificial Intelligence, Stimuler Application, English Learning, EFL Students

Abstrak— Pronunciation is an important skill in English learning because it plays a role in successful oral communication. However, many students still experience difficulties in pronouncing English sounds correctly due to differences in the sound system of their native language and a lack of intensive practice. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of using an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based application called Stimuler in improving the pronunciation skills of second-semester students of the English Language Education Study Program at IKIP PGRI Bojonegoro. This study used a quantitative approach with a pre-experimental design in the form of a one-group pre-test and post-test design. Data were collected through pronunciation tests administered before and after the treatment. Aspects assessed included accuracy, intonation, stress and rhythm, and fluency. Data were analyzed using average calculations and paired sample t-tests. The results showed an increase in students' pronunciation skills after using the Stimuler application. Improvements were seen in pronunciation accuracy, intonation, fluency, and a reduction in segmental sound errors. The statistical test results showed a significance value (p-value) <0.05, indicating a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores. Thus, the Stimuler application has proven effective in improving students' pronunciation skills and can be used as an alternative AI-based learning media in higher education.

Keywords—Pronunciation Skills, Artificial Intelligence, Stimuler Application, English Learning, EFL Students