Abstract
The focus of this research was to discover how the teaching of English pronunciation in the pre-service training institutions in Ghana could be improved. It was a study at Wesley College of Education, Kumasi, Ghana. The purposive sampling method was employed to select three tutors of English and twenty students for the study. Interviews and observations were done to gather information. As part of the findings; Pronunciation teaching must be included in course outlines of the colleges of Education. The Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) programme should factor in pronunciation when suggesting the review of the course outlines of the Colleges of Education (which are being transformed into University Colleges as of the preparation time of this paper). This will contribute to improving pronunciation teaching. Also, Pronunciation must be well taught at the basic level as the pupils grow with the knowledge and in-turn pass it on to other pupils/students in Ghana. This is because students of the Colleges of Education, complete their course only to go and teach the pupils in basic schools. It is obvious that when pronunciation is not well taught at the basic level, it goes a long way to affect individuals even unto adulthood. In addition, better methods of teaching pronunciation, if employed, will help improve it. Again, a campus FM should be established and utilized appropriately to educate and improve pronunciation. Teaching pronunciation through the media can be helpful if only it is carefully planned. In addition, the language laboratory stereotyped for only the French students, should be upgraded to a standard language laboratory where all other language teachers and student-teachers will benefit from. In sum, if all who may need to contribute to ensure the improvement of pronunciation teaching play their role well, its improvement will become a reality.
Highlights
Communication involves the use of language to express one’s thoughts or ideas or feelings
The Transforming Teacher Education and Learning (T-TEL) programme should factor in pronunciation when suggesting the review of the course outlines of the Colleges of Education
The following were found to be the ways through which English pronunciation teaching at pre-service institutions, and for that matter, Wesley College of Education could be improved: Pronunciation should be Taught from the Basic Level of Education
Summary
Communication involves the use of language to express one’s thoughts or ideas or feelings. Since the process of teaching and learning involve communication; intelligible pronunciation is very crucial to successful teaching and learning process. This makes ‘pronunciation’ a very important topic for discussion in the Educational sectors and in academia. The researcher deemed it fit to briefly discuss Higgs, Theodore and Clifford’s (1982) graph of learner needs (In Figure 1 below) due to the fact that it enables one to identify the loop holes in the language development of individuals; especially, those who are learning English as a second language.
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