Theory and Practice of Second Language Acquisition (Mar 2018)
Pronunciation learning environment: EFL students’ cognitions of in-class and out-of-class factors affecting pronunciation acquisition
Abstract
The way a foreign language (L2) learner perceives his or her educational environment may affect their processes of L2 acquisition. The aim of the study presented in this paper is to explore English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ cognitions of their teachers’ pronunciation, in-class and outside-class factors regarding pronunciation acquisition, such as pronunciation activities, recordings, focus on form, peer pronunciation, listening to music, to mention a few. A group of 89 participants responded to a survey, via which the data necessary to respond to the following three research questions was collected. How do EFL learners perceive their teachers’ pronunciation? What is the relationship between EFL learners’ perceived level of their L2 teachers’ pronunciation and perceived L2 teachers’ classroom language use? What factors, in the view of L2 learners, contribute to their pronunciation acquisition? The results indicate that there are significant differences in the perception of teachers’ pronunciation at different educational levels. Also, in L2 pronunciation learning the EFL students report the following factors as moderately important: L2 teachers’ pronunciation, in-class L2 use, pronunciation error correction, and in-class and out-of-class exposure to multimedia that provide access to a broad range of L2 pronunciation varieties.
