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

Abstract

This study combined evidence from survey, interview, and classroom observation data to better understand the amount and type of pronunciation instruction and corrective feedback practices in French and Spanish introductory language courses (i.e., the first four semesters) at the university level in the United States. Data consisted of responses (n = 142) to a national survey and audiorecorded interviews (6 hours) and classroom observations (22 hours) of seven graduate teaching assistants (TAs) of French or Spanish from two different large (i.e., more than 15,000 students) public universities. Survey results indicated that TAs believed that when they correct pronunciation, they should prioritize mistakes that impede comprehension or change meaning. Classroom observations demonstrated that on average, 2% of instructor talk was pronunciation focused, with a majority of pronunciation episodes categorized as corrective feedback in the form of recasts. In addition, only one instance of preplanned pronunciation teaching occurred in the data. The findings suggest that current pronunciation teaching practices in this context are rare and largely reactive.

A Window into the Classroom: How Teachers Integrate Pronunciation Instruction

“…Even though there were episodes in 73% of sessions in the NSP group, the average time spent on pronunciation per class remains low (1–2 minutes) and is comparable to other observations in all-skills contexts (e.g. Foote et al, 2016; Huensch, 2019b; Olson, 2014: 2.6 minutes). This is not particularly surprising given that the syllabus did not articulate specific pronunciation goals in these courses.…”

“…Its role in empowering teachers and increasing confidence has been highlighted many times (e.g. Couper, 2017; Huensch, 2019a, 2019b; Murphy, 2014, 2017). Studies of teacher cognition (e.g.…”

“…Since then, more studies documenting classroom practices through observations have appeared. Some evaluate how much pronunciation is taught and what targets are addressed in ‘all-skills’ contexts where pronunciation is not the focus of instruction (Foote et al, 2016; Huensch, 2019a, 2019b; Olson, 2014). Other studies examine pronunciation teaching from a teacher cognition standpoint in the context of a stand-alone pronunciation course (Gordon 2019; 2020), or where pronunciation is an articulated goal of an oral communication course (Baker, 2014).…”

“…Other studies examine pronunciation teaching from a teacher cognition standpoint in the context of a stand-alone pronunciation course (Gordon 2019; 2020), or where pronunciation is an articulated goal of an oral communication course (Baker, 2014). A common finding is that most teachers believe it is important to incorporate pronunciation (90%; in Huensch, 2019b). Yet, in the contexts examined in these studies (stand-alone pronunciation courses excluded), pronunciation is rarely addressed.…”

“…Despite these promising findings, pronunciation is still often sidelined in textbooks (Derwing et al, 2012; Levis and Sonsaat, 2016; Watts and Huensch, 2013), in teacher training (e.g. Baker and Murphy, 2011; Huensch, 2019b; Murphy, 2014), and ultimately in language courses, including oral communication skills courses (Levis and Grant, 2003). While most teachers acknowledge the importance of teaching pronunciation, the need for more specialized training and the issue of finding time to address pronunciation are often-cited barriers (e.g.…”