Pronunciation Teaching Research Articles

Retracted: Standardized Evaluation Method of Pronunciation Teaching Based on Deep Learning

Retracted: Standardized Evaluation Method of Pronunciation Teaching Based on Deep Learning

Native vs. non-native teacher acceptance of intelligibility-focused ELF pronunciation models

English as a lingua franca, or ELF, is an approach to teaching English that prioritizes the needs of learners who plan to use the language primarily as a means of international communication. While this prioritization has particularly interesting implications for pronunciation instruction, little research exists about how teachers perceive ELF pronunciation teaching methods. To remedy this, the current study quantitatively investigates the relationship between teachers’ status as native or non-native speakers of English and their willingness to accept and utilize ELF pronunciation teaching methods. The study (unexpectedly) finds that native teachers agree more with the use of these methods and would be more willing to implement them than would non-native teachers. I thus theorize that this is due to differences in perspective stemming from the prestige that native varieties of English carry in the greater global context. I also suggest varied implications of the findings, especially how they could be used to implement ELF pronunciation pedagogy into teacher training programs.

Genealogy of Novice Teachers’ Beliefs about Pronunciation Instruction: A Complex Systems Approach

There is a substantial body of studies investigating teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation. However, this line of research has rarely examined teachers’ beliefs as a complex system. To fill this gap, the present study aims to shed light on the genealogy of teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation instruction from the perspective of complexity theory. To this end, two EFL teachers who taught English at a private institute were asked to participate in this study. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and narratives. The findings indicated that the teachers recognized the importance of pronunciation instruction for improving students’ listening skills and knowledge of vocabulary and manifested aspiration for native-like pronunciation. However, their lack of self-confidence and insufficient pronunciation pedagogical knowledge base were reported to be major challenges of pronunciation instruction, which they attributed to teacher training courses among other factors. In addition, teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation, learners, learning pronunciation, teaching pronunciation, teachers, and curriculum were shown to co-exist and interact in a nonlinear manner, suggesting the complex, dynamic, co-adapted, and contextual-driven nature of teachers’ belief systems. In light of these findings, teacher education programs are advised to help teachers reappraise their preference for native speakerism and give pronunciation more prominence by introducing a wide range of strategies for teaching it.

Digital Resonance: Enhancing Pronunciation through Tech-Infused Teaching Strategy

The intention of this research is to discover the implementation of Cake in teaching of pronunciation and to uncover the students’ perception toward the use of Cake in teaching of pronunciation. This research applied qualitative descriptive method. The study was conducted at a private vocational school in Cianjur West Java Indonesia in the academic year 2021. The participants consisted of second grade of banking major at the ages between 15-17. Two of them were male and ten were female. This research collected the data through observation and a forced-choice questionnaire format where the participants were asked to choose one of the available selections (Yes or No). As the data were collected, the writer analyzed them. There were six steps in analyzing the observation as well as the questionnaire: (1) preparing the data to be analyzed, (2) reading or viewing all data, (3) coding the data, (4) generalizing the code, (5) creating tables based on the data code, and (6) interpret the data code. Over the observation the writers found a new formula on implementing Cake in helping students’ pronunciation accuracy. This formula then is called MRCP with drilling as the teaching strategy. The results of questionnaire show that Cake was new for the student. It has many features that support students in learning pronunciation. The students were also happy learning using Cake and they felt more confident to speak English after learning using Cake.

Factors Affecting the Teaching of English Syllables and Stress

The teaching and learning of English syllables and stress are intricate processes influenced by a myriad of factors. This discussion explores significant determinants including linguistic background of learners, teacher competency and training, availability and quality of instructional materials, and learner motivation and attitude towards English pronunciation. The interference from mother tongue and familiarity with phonetic symbols play pivotal roles in how learners grasp phonological aspects of English. Similarly, teacher competency in phonology and pronunciation pedagogy, alongside the ability to model correct pronunciation, significantly impacts the effectiveness of instruction. The quality and cultural relevance of instructional materials, coupled with the integration of modern educational technology, enhance the teaching and learning experience. Moreover, learners' motivation and attitude towards English pronunciation are intertwined with their learning outcomes, underscoring the importance of fostering positive attitudes and high motivation. An integrated approach considering all these factors, supported by continuous professional development for teachers and a well-designed curriculum, is recommended to address the challenges associated with teaching and learning English syllables and stress. Through this holistic approach, a conducive learning environment promoting better understanding and mastery of English pronunciation can be established, ultimately improving the overall language proficiency of learners.

‘Am I saying it wrong?’ Progressivity-related troubles and instructional opportunities in child-robot L2 interaction

Participants’ orientation to progressivity of action sequences is a fundamental feature of human social interaction, but less is known about how progressivity is maintained in human-robot interaction (HRI). We explore this by drawing on c. 14 hours of video recordings showing small groups of primary school children interacting with Nao, a programmable humanoid robot. Facilitated by a teacher, the children in our data are completing a short robot-assisted language learning lesson aimed at training English vocabulary and oral skills at a Swedish-speaking school in Finland. We investigate how the teacher and the pupils address emerging troubles in a word repetition sequence which the robot is programmed to carry out with one pupil at a time. Our analysis focuses on two kinds of troubles related to sequence closure: the robot’s so-called ‘third’ turns that either 1) do not ratify the pupil’s just-prior word repetition as ‘correct’ or 2) are (treated as) incongruent within the sequential context. We show how the human participants make sense of such conduct, recruit the teacher’s assistance to secure closure of the activity sequence, and orient to pronunciation instruction in situated ways. The results shed light on how children accommodate to, and are socialised into, human-robot interaction.

A Multidimensional Analysis of English-L2 Rhythm Development

This work aims to discuss the development of L2 English rhythm by Brazilian learners (L2ers) through rhythmic metrics and acoustic parameters. Five L2ers were recorded reading a text in English at the beginning of their college studies in English Language and Literature, and again, four semesters later, after having taken two English phonology courses. They were also recorded reading a Portuguese version of the same text. As for the control group, five native speakers of a North American variety of English were recorded reading the text in English. Data were manually segmented in PRAAT, and the indexes were automatically extracted. As for English-L2, different developmental paths were captured as function of the rhythm dimension, with L1 influencing more L2ers’ rhythm in the f0 and intensity dimensions. Crucially, L2 rhythm patterns converged to the target language in all dimensions, suggesting positive effects of explicit pronunciation teaching. Keywords: phonological acquisition; prosody; rhythmic metrics; acoustic parameters; explicit instruction.

“[eɪ], [oʊ], [aɪ]”: A Quantitative Study on High School Students’ Errors in Pronouncing English Diphthong

The objective of this study was to find out the errors made by students in pronouncing diphthong “eɪ, oʊ, aɪ”. This study used a quantitative approach. To obtain valid data, the researchers administered a test that was carried out to 30 students as the sample taken from IX IPA 1 of SMA Negeri 4 Langsa. Based on the research, the data showed that one student made errors 6 times and got score 50, three students made errors 5 times and got score 58. Seven students made errors 4 times and got score 67, four students made errors 3 times and got score 75. Eight students made errors 2 times and got score 83. Six students made errors 1 time and got score 92. There was only one student who made no errors and got score 100. The cause of errors in pronouncing English diphthongs was revealed to be affected by interference of the mother tongue which is popular as the basic principle of contrastive analysis. The coming pre-service teachers were able to devise appropriate lesson plan in diphthong pronunciation teaching. In addition, it is also hoped that they can construct the suitable material for various levels and needs of learners.

The Factors Affecting Filipino Grade 11–12 students’ Pronunciation

This study aims to examine the factors affecting students' pronunciation in English as a Second Language (ESL) among senior high school students and their English teachers. A mixed-method approach was employed, which involved a survey questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with 10 senior high school students and 10 English teachers from PAU Excellencia Global Academy Foundation, Inc. in the Philippines. The results showed that attitude, exposure, mother tongue, and instruction are factors that affect students' pronunciation in ESL. The participants agreed that attitude towards learning English greatly impacts pronunciation improvement, and that exposure to English through media and social interactions is beneficial. However, the influence of the mother tongue on pronunciation was found to be significant, particularly in the Philippines where English is taught as a second language. Furthermore, the instruction provided by teachers was found to be a crucial factor affecting students' pronunciation, with the need for teachers to utilize more effective teaching techniques and strategies. This study contributes to the literature on ESL pronunciation by examining the unique perspectives of both students and teachers in the Philippines, which can provide insights into the development of more effective ESL teaching and learning approaches. The findings can also aid in the development of curriculum design and teacher training programs to improve ESL pronunciation instruction.

From Research in the Lab to Pedagogical Practices in the EFL Classroom: The Case of Task-Based Pronunciation Teaching

Input and context-related factors identified by research as key success variables in L2 pronunciation development in immersion contexts play a very modest role in instructed foreign language (FL) learning environments. Scarce L2 exposure and use and L1-accented input make pronunciation learning extremely challenging. Current L2 speech learning models attribute difficulties in L2 speech acquisition to L2-to-L1 perceptual sound mappings guided by L1-based perception and poor phonological awareness and noticing of cross-language phonetic differences, which are typically not adequately addressed in instruction through pedagogic tasks. Explicit and incidental pronunciation teaching methods have been found effective at improving learners’ pronunciation, but ways to integrate them into communicative approaches to language teaching are still largely unexplored. Thus, language education practices currently lack a research-informed pedagogical approach that incorporates principles of L2 speech learning and task-based language teaching (TBLT) into pronunciation instruction. This article (1) presents an outline of new avenues for research and practice in L2 pronunciation instruction and (2) reports on the findings of an empirical study that implemented a task-based pronunciation teaching (TBPT) approach to teaching a difficult L2 vowel contrast through computerized collaborative map tasks that could be easily integrated into communicative FL classrooms.

The Effectiveness of L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Synthesis of 10 Empirical Studies

The number of studies on effectiveness pronunciation instruction (PI) has been increasing during the past decades and produced mixed results, though most of them reports significant improvements. Moreover, what factors might moderate the overall effectiveness of PI on L2 development and to what extent they function are still unclear. The current study synthesizes 10 representative studies exploring the effect of PI on L2 development, especially the overall effectiveness and roles of focus of PI, type of PI and outcome measures on the overall effectiveness. According to the results, suprasegmental instruction contributes to better phonological production and comprehensibility; form-focused instruction outperforms meaning-focused one in L2 pronunciation learning but the effects of combining different types of FFI is unclear; controlled constructed tasks provide more comprehensibility gains than free constructed one. Possible reasons are summarized along with pedagogical implications.

The influence of learning strategies and the environment on Chinese L3 English learners' motivation to learn phonetic symbols: The mediating role of self-efficacy.

Previous studies have established a relationship between Chinese L3 English learners' learning strategies, environment, self-efficacy, and motivation. However, limited research has examined these interconnections concerning Chinese L3 learners' phonetic symbol learning (PSL), and it is hard to determine the extent or manner in which the aforementioned factors have an impact on the motivation toward PSL and their interactions among Chinese L3 English learners according to existing related studies. Structural equation modeling (SEM) can be utilized to tackle this question given its advantages in analyzing various factors in language learning motivation based on specific theories. This study, therefore, aims to investigate the direct and indirect effects of learning strategies and learning environment on the motivation towards PSL among Chinese L3 English learners and offer some pedagogical advice to teachers in Chinese L3 English instruction. To achieve this, a PSL Motivation Scale was developed, using data collected from 45 minority college students and analyzed via SEM. The results revealed that learning strategies and learning environment have direct impacts on the motivation towards PSL among Chinese L3 English learners, as well as indirect impacts on motivation through the mediation of self-efficacy. This study may provide a methodological and pedagogical reference for English pronunciation teaching in China and other contexts that we can stimulate students' motivation toward PSL either directly or through the mediating effect of self-efficacy.

Pronunciation Teaching Perception Scale (PTPS) for In-Service Teachers

This research aimed at developing a reliable scale to determine in-service language teachers’ perceptions about teaching pronunciation and contributing to the English Language Teaching (ELT) field. The participants of the study consisted of 132 English language instructors working in 42 secondary and high schools in the 2021 to 2022 academic year in North Cyprus. The conducted Exploratory Factor Analyses revealed that the scale consisted of five factors and 24 items. Besides that, the Confirmatory Factor Analysis results confirmed the 5-factor structure. Furthermore, it was proven that the whole scale and its sub-dimensions are highly reliable and suitable for the implementation in determining in-service language teachers’ perceptions of pronunciation teaching (χ2/ df = 1.314). It is believed that the newly developed scale would help researchers more reliably investigate perceptions of teaching pronunciation in various contexts.

The Role of the ESL Teacher in the Use of Modern Techniques on Teaching Deletion-A Case Study Ringim Educational Zone, Jigawa State, Nigeria

This research evaluated the role of the ESL teacher and the use of modern techniques on teaching deletion. Questionnaire and oral interview were the instruments that the researcher used to collect the data. The research findings showed that most of the students do not know how to pronounce some words correctly, that is, they have a problem with the silent words that have silent letters. The findings also revealed that some teachers do not pronounce the words correctly. It is concluded that the teachers transfer their inadequacy to the students and do not use appropriate techniques in teaching pronunciation especially words with silent letters. The researcher recommends that only teachers who are B.A. and B.A.Ed English graduates should teach the subject and they too, must use appropriate techniques when teaching pronunciation especially words with silent letters/sounds

Research on the Assessment Approaches to Pronunciation Training for Pre-Service EFL Teachers

For EFL teacher education, it’s important to polish pre-service teachers’ pronunciation and their pronunciation teaching skills. Currently, the pronunciation training for pre-service EFL teachers in China only focuses on pronunciation improvement and lacks the element of teacher education so that its efficacy still needs improvement. This paper points out the rationale of applying the Learning-Oriented Assessment (LOA) to the pronunciation training for pre-service EFL teachers. Then the author discusses the evaluation approaches integrating assessment of learning, assessment as learning and assessment for learning after reformulating the goals of the pronunciation training for pre-service EFL teachers. Finally, the author analyzes the effectiveness of the evaluation approaches for improving pre-service English teachers’ pronunciation as well as their pronunciation teaching skills.

Yi Sheng Character Used in New Practical Chinese Reader Textbook (Volume 1-4)

In view of the current situation that the teaching of Chinese characters' pronunciation is relatively separated from the font and meaning in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL), this thesis puts forward a plan to introduce the concept of "Yi Sheng character" in Shuowen Jiezi based on the fundamental, practicability and innovative of the New Practical Chinese Reader Textbook (Volume 1-4). This thesis analyses all the Yi Sheng characters and Yi Sheng components mentioned in the "Basic Chinese Characters" section of the New Practical Chinese Reader Textbooks (Volumes 1-4), discusses their associations with modern pronunciation by ancient or modern pronunciation, traditional or simplified Chinese character and phonemic component, in a bid to summarise the associations in meanings between the Yi Sheng components and the Yi Sheng characters. In this way, foreign Chinese learners can gain a holistic understanding of the pronunciation-font-meaning combination of basic Chinese characters.

What pronunciation specialists believe CELTA tutors need to know to prepare student teachers to teach pronunciation

Abstract This study investigated tutors’ pronunciation teaching delivery in the Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) through two sequential qualitative case studies. The study was conducted in three phases: (1) case 1 – teacher interviews, (2) case 2 – a Delphi with pronunciation specialists, (3) Comparative Case Study analysis. Phase one involved four semi-structured interviews with five English teachers from Australia via virtual group meetings. Phase two involved responses to three rounds of online Delphi questionnaires with an international panel of 13 pronunciation specialists. Information about pronunciation teaching practice emerged from the teacher interviews that informed the Delphi question frame. The pronunciation specialists’ consensus in the Delphi was that CELTA tutors need to develop an eclectic knowledge base of pronunciation instruction that reflects contemporary approaches in pronunciation research and teaching. Phase three combined the phase one and two results in a Comparative Case Study analysis that attended simultaneously to dimensions of time, policy, and culture to identify a model of pronunciation instruction amenable to the CELTA. Recommendations for tutors’ professional development based on a comparison of the teachers’ extant practical knowledge and the pronunciation specialists’ research-informed knowledge include a community of practice and a mini curriculum.

Pre- and in-service teachers’ beliefs about second language pronunciation teaching, their experience, and speech assessments

This study investigated whether and to what degree individual differences in teachers' experience and beliefs are associated with their judgements of second language (L2) speech. Participants included 50 in-service and 50 pre-service teachers who rated 40 audio-recorded speaking performances by Japanese secondary school students, evaluating these students' L2 English comprehensibility, fluency, and accentedness. The teachers also completed online questionnaires targeting their beliefs about L2 pronunciation instruction and recorded their professional and personal experiences related to language teaching and learning. Compared to pre-service teachers, in-service teachers appeared to hold stronger beliefs about L2 pronunciation instruction. Notably, in-service teachers' comprehensibility and fluency ratings were predicted only by their beliefs (importance of pronunciation, who can teach pronunciation), whereas pre-service teachers' accentedness ratings were predicted by a combination of variables, including their beliefs (how to teach pronunciation) and experience (living abroad). These findings demonstrate possible links between teachers’ assessment practices and their professional experiences and beliefs relevant to L2 pronunciation instruction.

The use of technology in teaching ELF pronunciation: a help or a hinderance?

Abstract As the world’s premier lingua franca, English plays an instrumental role in global communication and cultural exchanges. Given that an individual’s English pronunciation is closely tied to their cultural and national identity, English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) emphasizes intelligibility as the primary criterion to gauge pronunciation success. This paper investigates the interplay between ELF, globalization, and interculturality, with particular attention on how technology facilitates the teaching of English pronunciation in ELF scenarios. It provides an in-depth qualitative analysis of educators’ perceptions on the role of technology as an enabler or inhibitor in teaching ELF pronunciation. The research affirms that teachers’ beliefs are consistent with the existing literature. The study concludes that state-of-the-art technology should be leveraged in ELF pronunciation instruction, provided it enhances intelligibility and avoids excessively discouraging learners whose pronunciation diverges from native norms.

Pembelajaran Fonetik Bahasa Indonesia Pada Mahasiswa Asal Sunda

This research focuses on improving Indonesian pronunciation for Sundanese students who speak Sundanese. The learning method includes teaching pronunciation with material reading and writing phonetic symbols. Observation is used as a qualitative approach to collect information about pronunciation, with instruments in the form of modules and related documents. The steps involve collecting student responses to learning, as well as using questionnaires to understand their perceptions of the teaching and learning process of Indonesian phonetics. The ultimate goal is to provide competence to students so they can pronounce Indonesian words correctly based on phonetic symbols.