EXPLORING SECONDARY SCHOOL ESL TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS PRONUNCIATION CONTENT AND INSTRUCTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22077339Keywords:
ESL Teachers, Pronunciation Instruction, Teacher PerceptionsAbstract
Pronunciation is often regarded as a de-emphasized component of English language teaching, despite its importance for effective communication. The study used a qualitative research design to explore secondary school ESL teachers' perceptions and attitudes toward pronunciation content and instruction in government and private schools within the Makran region of Pakistan, drawing on Borg's (1997) two-dimensional model of teacher cognition, schooling, and professional coursework. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 ESL teachers, and data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase thematic analysis framework. The findings of the current study revealed five major themes: pronunciation as a key communicative competence; prioritizing intelligibility over native-like accents; limited exposure to pronunciation instruction in their formal schooling and professional development; contextual barriers to pronunciation teaching, such as overcrowded classrooms, L1 interference, and inadequate teaching resources; and positive attitudes toward pronunciation teaching despite these contextual barriers. The findings suggest that teachers' perceptions regarding pronunciation preparation were largely absent and unstructured, with implications for professional development programs and a review of the present curriculum structure. The study recommends that future research combine Borg's (1997) model of teacher cognition with Burgess and Spencer's (2000) Strategic Pedagogic Model to examine the congruence between teachers' stated perceptions and their actual classroom practices.
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