Exploring the Intersection Between Teachers’ Beliefs and Research Findings in Pronunciation Instruction

Abstract

This study explored teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation instruction in Spanish as a second language (L2). An online survey was used to collect data from 100 participants, grouped into 4 categories based on their previous training in principles and methods of pronunciation instruction. This article reports results from 15 survey items which covered participants’ beliefs regarding 6 major themes: the importance of pronunciation, how pronunciation develops, when to teach it, what to teach, how to teach, and who can teach. Although the results revealed several areas where more methods‐related coursework meant greater alignment between Spanish teachers’ beliefs and findings of L2 pronunciation research, there were other topics on which instructors with more training were likely to express beliefs contrasting with the state of the art. For instance, respondents with more coursework tended to accord more value to pronunciation instruction, to set more pronunciation‐related goals for language instruction, and to reject delaying a focus on pronunciation. Unexpectedly, however, some seemed to uphold the native speaker model, suggesting that teacher training and professional development programs may need to emphasize research‐informed practices and the importance of pedagogical expertise over nativelike pronunciation.

The pronunciation teaching practices of university‐level graduate teaching assistants of French and Spanish introductory language courses

“…Despite this shift, Huensch () found a tension in the survey responses of instructors who simultaneously prioritized intelligible speech but also valued native‐like accuracy. Similarly, Nagle et al () reported that while Spanish instructors generally disagreed with a survey item that stated “only individuals with nativelike Spanish pronunciation should teach it,” this item simultaneously had the highest variability on the survey, demonstrating some instructors’ upheld nativeness principles (p. 15). Missing from these studies is direct evidence of which pronunciation features are targeted in foreign language classrooms and the extent to which pronunciation instruction and corrective feedback prioritize nativeness and intelligibility.…”

“…MacDonald's () interviews with eight ESL instructors in Australia revealed that participants viewed pronunciation instruction as peripheral and only needing attention if/when students had difficulties. In their survey of Spanish instructors, Nagle et al () found that instructors valued both proactive and reactive approaches to teaching pronunciation. In the Canadian ESL context, classroom observation data from Foote et al () indicated that 67–93% of pronunciation episodes were incidental, with a majority of those that were preplanned coming from a single tongue‐twister activity (p. 190).…”

“…However, despite the many potential advantages of focusing on pronunciation, reports from surveys of instructors have demonstrated that only a small proportion of instructional time is devoted to developing it (Buss, ; Foote, Holtby, & Derwing, ; Huensch, ) and that instructors have noted a lack of and desire for training in ways to teach it (Huensch, ; Murphy, ). While a body of survey research has been growing that investigates instructors’ beliefs and attitudes regarding the teaching of pronunciation in both English as a foreign language (EFL)/ESL (e.g., Breitkreutz, Derwing, & Rossiter, ; Buss, ; Foote et al, ) and in languages other than English (e.g., Huensch, ; Nagle, Sachs, & Zárate‐Sández, ), much less is known about instructors’ actual classroom practices. Among what is a very small number of such studies, few have included classroom observations (e.g., Baker, ; Foote, Trofimovich, Collins, & Urzúa, ) and those that did exclusively examined the practices of experienced ESL instructors.…”

Expanding the scope of L2 intelligibility research

“…Another body of work has examined the extent to which phonetics instruction facilitates gains in pronunciation, as determined by listener ratings or through acoustic comparison of learner productions to a native speaker baseline (e.g., Kissling, 2013;Lord, 2005Lord, , 2008. In her survey of Spanish FL instructors, Huensch (2019) observed a tension in instructors' responses, insofar as they seemed to prioritize intelligible speech as an important learning goal while also valuing nativelike accuracy (see also, Nagle et al, 2018). On the one hand, an emphasis on accentedness in the literature and in the classroom can be important given that more accented speech may be perceived as less grammatical (Ruivivar & Collins, 2018) and may be associated with negative evaluations of intelligence, successfulness, and other markers of social status (Fuertes et al, 2012).…”

Wahrnehmungen und Überzeugungen zum Ausspracheunterricht im Fach Dänisch

“…Sie wurden alle in den USA durchgeführt. Nagle, Sachs & Zárate-Sández (2018) befragen Spanischlehr-kräfte zum Ausspracheunterricht. Huensch (2018, 2019 untersucht die Wahrnehmungen und Überzeugungen von Lehrkräften, die Deutsch, Spanisch und Französisch unterrichten.…”