Approaches to Pronunciation Instruction in  Communicative Language Teaching Classrooms

Ali Babaeian

doi:10.5296/jse.v11i4.18977

Abstract

One of the main factors that affects pronunciation instruction in the classroom is the educators’ teaching approach. Various elements like L1 (first language), cultural backgrounds, et cetera would influence teaching pronunciation, making English teachers deploy different pedagogical approaches for the learning process to occur. This article aims to provide insights into the pedagogical approaches used by EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers in their CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) classrooms. It will also explore the influencing variables on these approaches. For this purpose, five English teachers (two EFL and three ESL teachers) provided the needed data through a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview for this qualitative study. The results showed that the participants used two teaching approaches for delivering pronunciation lessons, and two types of variables (i.e., student-related and teacher-related variables) influenced their choice of approach in the pronunciation classroom. Although this study does not intend to be generalized, it provides language teachers with a view of pedagogical approaches used by a number of EFL and ESL teachers for teaching pronunciation.

Highlights

The development of L2 pronunciation is one of the most significant aspects of successful oral communication
The results showed that the participants used two teaching approaches for delivering pronunciation lessons, and two types of variables influenced their choice of approach in the pronunciation classroom
This study aimed to illuminate English language teaching (ELT) approaches in English as a foreign language (EFL) and English as a second language (ESL) classrooms for pronunciation instruction and the variables affecting the choice of approaches

Summary

Introduction

The development of L2 (second language) pronunciation is one of the most significant aspects of successful oral communication. English language learners consider pronunciation the pillar of successful verbal communication (Breitkreutz et al, 2002; Derwing, 2003; Waniek-Klimczak, 2011), and teachers regard it as an essential element in spoken language (Baker, 2011; Sifakis & Sougari, 2005) in both EFL and ESL contexts. Despite this consensus among learners, teachers, and scholars on the significance of L2 pronunciation in language classrooms, a pronunciation class rarely meets its objectives for various reasons (Macdonald, 2002).

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Conclusion