The Effectiveness of Audio-Lingual Drills in Improving Uzbek Efl Learners' Pronunciation of Problematic English Sounds

This exploratory action research investigates whether integrating focused audio-lingual drills into regular lessons improves Uzbek learners’ production of problematic English sounds (/θ, ð/, /w–v/, tense–lax vowels /iː–ɪ/, final consonant clusters) and primary word stress. Over two classroom cycles (4 weeks, N=26, A2–B1), learners completed daily minimal-pair and pattern drills embedded in short communicative dialogues. Pre/post measures included a controlled word-and-sentence reading task, a brief picture-prompt dialogue, and a teacher rubric for intelligibility. Results showed medium-to-large gains in segmental accuracy (e.g., /θ/ from 42%→73%; /w–v/ from 61%→86%), improved cluster realization (from 38%→67%), and more target-like stress placement (from 49%→72%). Students reported higher confidence and noticed transfer from drills to role-plays. The study aligns with regional findings on Uzbek pronunciation challenges and points to a practical hybrid: short, intensive audio-lingual drills immediately “recycled” in communicative tasks. Implications include targeting L1-Uzbek interference, dialectal influence, and explicit prosody work.