The Effectiveness of Using Busuu Application to Improve Students’ Pronunciation Ability at Grade VIII of SMP Negeri 10 Tapung

Authors

  • Balqis Athiyya Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau, Indonesia
  • Prih Febtiningsih Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau, Indonesia
  • Bazilah Raihan Mat Shawal Universitas Muhammadiyah Riau, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57235/jleb.v4i1.8335

Keywords:

Pronunciation ability, Grade VIII, Effectiveness

Abstract

This study aims to improve the English pronunciation skills of grade VIII students at SMP Negeri 10 Tapung by utilizing the Busuu application. The research specifically focuses on addressing pronunciation difficulties faced by students, particularly in terms of sounds, stress, intonation, and constructive feedback, through the use of digital media. The research used a quasi-experimental design with two groups: an experimental group using the Busuu application and a control group receiving conventional teaching methods. The study involved 60 students from two classes at SMP Negeri 10 Tapung. Data were collected through pre-tests and post-tests, which assessed students' pronunciation abilities. The experimental group received treatment via the Busuu app, which offers interactive features such as native speaker audio and pronunciation feedback. Statistical analyses, including normality testing, homogeneity testing, and hypothesis testing (paired sample t-test), were performed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. The study found a significant improvement in the experimental group’s pronunciation skills. The average score of the experimental group increased from 47.7 in the pre-test to 80.2 in the post-test, marking a 32.5-point increase. In comparison, the control group’s score increased from 45.9 to 74.3, a 28.4-point increase. Statistical analysis confirmed the significant effect of the Busuu application on students' pronunciation (p-value = 0.000), supporting the hypothesis that the application enhances pronunciation abilities more effectively than conventional methods. The findings suggest that the Busuu application is an effective tool for improving English pronunciation skills, highlighting the potential of digital media in language learning. The study encourages the integration of interactive and technological solutions in teaching, particularly for overcoming challenges in pronunciation and providing immediate, constructive feedback. However, limitations of the study include the small sample size and the potential influence of external factors not controlled during the experiment. Future research could explore long-term impacts and compare different digital tools for language learning. Additionally, expanding the sample size could provide more generalized results.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abdullah K, et al. (2021). Metodologi Penelitian Kuantitatif. Pidie: Yayasan Penerbit Muhammad Zaini.

Huda, K. (2017). Pemanfaatan website (Busuu.com) sebagai multimedia interaktif dalam pembelajaran bahasa Arab. Jurnal An Nabighoh, 19(2).

Kissova, O. (2019). Key factors in training English pronunciation: Valuation and assessment. 6th SWS International Scientific Conference on Social Sciences ISCSS 2019, 4(August 2019). https://doi.org/10.5593/sws.iscss.2019.4/s13.035

Kurniawan, A. W., & Puspitaningtyas, Z. (2016). Metode penelitian kuantitatif. Yogyakarta: Pandiva Buku

Mulyadi, A., & Maesaroh, M. (2021). The effectiveness of using “Busuu” in teaching speaking. Jurnal Fakultas Keguruan & Ilmu Pendidikan, 2(3), 94–98.

Plailek, T., & Essien, A. M. (2021). Pronunciation problems and factors affecting English pronunciation of EFL students. Turkish Journal of Computer and Mathematics Education, 12(12), 2026–2033.

Prashant, P. D. (2018). Importance of pronunciation in English language communication. Research Papers in Economics, 7(2), 15 20. https://ideas.repec.org/p/vor/issues/2018-27-05.html

Rosell, F. (2018). Autonomous language learning through a mobile application: A user evaluation of the Busuu app. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 31(8), 854–881.

Samara, H. (2021). The use of Busuu application to enhance students' listening skill at SMP Negeri 2 Galesong Selatan Takalar (Universitas Bosowa). https://repository.unibos.ac.id

Setyowati, L., Ambarsari, Y., & Muthoharoh, B. (2017). Pelatihan pelafalan kata-kata bahasa Inggris dalam rangka meningkatkan kualitas pengajaran guru-guru Sakinah English Course. E-DIMAS: Jurnal Pengabdian Masyarakat, 8(1), 1–8.

Shah, S. S. A., Othman, J., & Senom, F. (2017). The pronunciation component in ESL lessons: Teachers’ beliefs and practices. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 6(2), 193–203. https://doi.org/10.17509/ijal.v6i2.4844

Shibata, N. (2020). The usefulness of busuu online courses for foreign language learning. Call-Ej, 21(2), 197–203.

Sugiyono, 2013, Metodelogi Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif Dan R&D. (Bandung: ALFABETA

Sugiyono, 2019. Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif Kualitatif dan R&D. Bandung: Alfabeta.

Sugiyono. 2009. Metode Penelitian Pendidikan Pendekatan Kuantitatif Kualitatif dan R & D. Bandung: Alfabeta.

Tambunsaribu, G., & Simatupang, M. S. (2021). Pronunciation problems faced by Indonesian college students who learn to speak English. European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine, 8(2), 759–766.

Winans, M. D. (2020). Busuu: A social network application to learn languages. CALICO Journal, 37(1), 117–126. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.37781

Downloads

Published

2026-05-22

How to Cite

Athiyya, B., Febtiningsih, P., & Shawal, B. R. M. (2026). The Effectiveness of Using Busuu Application to Improve Students’ Pronunciation Ability at Grade VIII of SMP Negeri 10 Tapung. Journal of Law, Education and Business, 4(1), 386–393. https://doi.org/10.57235/jleb.v4i1.8335

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026): April 2026

Section

Articles

Citation Check

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Balqis Athiyya, Prih Febtiningsih, Bazilah Raihan Mat Shawal

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

  1. Authors certify that the work reported here has not been published before and contains no materials the publication of which would violate any copyright or other personal or proprietary right of any person or entity.
  2. Authors dont transfer or license the copyright of publishing to JLEB: Journal of Law Education and Business Research to publish the article in any media format, to share, to disseminate, to index, and to maximize the impact of the article in any databases.
  3. Authors hereby dont agree to transfer a copyright for publishing to JLEB: Journal of Law Education and Business a Publisher of the manuscript. 
  4. Authors reserve the following: 
    1. all proprietary rights other than copyright such as patent rights; 
    2. the right to use all or part of this article in future works of our own such as in books and lectures;
    3. use for presentation in a meeting or conference and distributing copies to attendees; 
    4. use for internal training by author's company;
    5. distribution to colleagues for their research use;
    6. use in a subsequent compilation of the author's works;
    7. inclusion in a thesis or dissertation;
    8. reuse of portions or extracts from the article in other works (with full acknowledgement of final article);
    9. preparation of derivative works (other than commercial purposes) (with full acknowledgement of final article); and
    10. voluntary posting on open web sites operated by author or author’s institution for scholarly purposes, but it should follow the open access license of Creative Common CC BY-NC License.