Enhancing English Phonetic Competence through Digital Micro-teaching Strategies in Nigerian Secondary Schools

The quasi-experimental study investigated the efficacy of digital micro-teaching techniques in improving phonetic competence in English of students in secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria. Digital technologies provided some hopeful solutions to long-term pronunciation problems especially in educational settings where resources are limited. Intact classes were used to select 60 Senior Secondary I students (n = 30 in experimental and n = 30 in control). The experimental condition over 12 weeks was phonetic training with the use of the combined digital micro-teaching approaches, such as interactive phonetic programs, voice recognition software, VR environments, and gamified education platforms. The control group was instructed through traditional means of teaching. The pre-test-post-test design was used with the use of standardized measurement tools phonetic accuracy, pronunciation fluency, and student engagement. Quantitative data were compared with paired-samples and independent-samples t-tests, ANCOVA, and repeated measures ANOVA, whereas qualitative data (teacher interviews and student focus groups) were compared thematically. Results indicated that the experimental group had statistically significant positive changes in all outcomes measures. The phonetic accuracy significantly improved in comparison to the control group, and pronunciation fluency and the level of engagement also improved considerably. Effects of all measures were significant, representing high teaching effect. ANCOVA outcomes (adjusted by pre-test scores) proved significant treatment effects and ANOVA of repeated measures proved significant time-by-group interaction. The qualitative results supported the quantitative findings further with a high degree of acceptability, higher levels of learner motivation, and better pronunciation confidence being observed by students. Individualized feedback, more practice opportunities, and learner autonomy were mentioned as benefits of this strategy by teachers, but the issues with infrastructure and time management were observed. Lastly, the research shows that digital micro-teaching courses are a viable and pedagogical tool that can be used to enhance the teaching of phonetics in Nigerian secondary schools. The implications of the findings on the design of curriculum, professional development of teachers, and the education technology policy are significant. Hence, long-term retention, scalability, and long-term implementation models should be the subject of future research.