A Comparison of Synthetic and Human Speech: an Evaluation by English as a Foreign Language Students in a Public Costa Rican University
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Abstract
The possible role of text-to-speech (TTS) audio for pedagogical purposes has not been fully explored. This study examines ESL students’ perceptions of artificial intelligence and human voices. It also explores students’ opinions on listening instruction. The investigation was conducted from April to September 2022 and involved 36 TESOL students enrolled in a BA in English or English teaching at a Costa Rican public university. It used a quantitative survey design. The researcher gathered student responses through a survey designed to collect students’ perceptions of computer-generated voices, human voices, and listening instruction. The data were quantitatively analyzed using descriptive statistics. Data analyses indicate that: 1) students find human voices more appealing than artificial intelligence voices; 2) students find female voices more appealing than male voices when a computer generates them; 3) artificial intelligence voices share some characteristics that students find more appealing; and 4) current listening instruction policies and materials should be reexamined in the language program. Consistent with the reviewed literature, these findings demonstrate that although TTS does not appeal
to students as much as human voices, a part of the population finds computergenerated voices appealing. The analysis also suggests that some students cannot fully discern between computer-generated and human voices; thus, their use may be appropriate in some contexts. Finally, these findings confirm that listening instruction policies and materials should be revised to improve students’ language acquisition processes.
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