1/14/2021
Teaching pronunciation
inductively to
ESOL/EFL learners in
the UK
Research Proposal – MA TESOL
Marija Milenkovska Jordanov
UNIVERSITY OF ROEHAMPTON
Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 2
The research question ........................................................................................................................... 3
The Research Question Operationalisation ........................................................................................ 4
Data Collection ..................................................................................................................................... 6
Research Sample ................................................................................................................................... 7
Analysis .................................................................................................................................................. 9
Implications ......................................................................................................................................... 11
Ethical issues and other matters ........................................................................................................ 12
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................................ 13
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Introduction
Many influential authors argue that we should not teach English language pronunciation to learners
with the intent for them to sound native speakers, as English is mostly studied as a 'Lingua Franca.'1
(Jenkins, 2007). For others ‘focussed pronunciation instruction is useless and detrimental’
(Kenworthy, 1978), (Gilbert, 2008). However, I am aware that most London-based learners want to
improve their pronunciation and maybe even sound native-like. In fact, according to Bradford (1988),
cited in Walker, R. (2010) pronunciation rules must be taught, and this should be done inductively,
i.e., examples precede rules. Similarly, O’ Connor & Fletcher, (1989) claim that ‘teaching materials’
should ‘emphasise the importance of sound discrimination’.
The critical period hypothesis states that there is a crucial time (two to thirteen years of age) in which
an individual can fully acquire a foreign language: afterwards, it is highly improbable to achieve a full
command of language proficiency. I disagree. I was introduced to EFL at the age of ten in a nonEnglish speaking environment. With limited exposure and with 'poor' models of pronunciation and
language use, I realised how challenging it was to understand ungraded, natural, native speech, let
alone sound native-like, as I wanted to.
Unfortunately, there are plenty of other factors affecting how we learn L2 pronunciation; (Krashen,
1982, cited in Jones R. H., 2002: 178). However, learning pronunciation ‘helps learners develop
their abilities to understand spoken English' and therefore, insufficient awareness of pronunciation
'impacts learners’ reading and spelling’ (Wong, 1993, cited in Gilakjani, & Sabouri, 2016: 196). I
am a great supporter of the statement above as, being a non-native speaker of English myself, I am
convinced that it has been only when I was introduced to the International Phonetic Alphabet when I
learned how to discriminate sounds2 and achieved full command.
While in London and in Northern Italy, I have had the chance to observe adults and children
communicate in English and Italian respectively, but failing to achieve a near-native pronunciation. I
have continuously witnessed that a clear and native-like pronunciation, no matter what language you
speak, gives immigrants a better status within the society, more confidence to interact with native
speakers, and respect from their community for being able to integrate and for willing to learn the
language of the foreign country; it certainly gives a better self-image, as we are human beings, and it
is in our human nature to seek for positive approval.
Therefore, I would argue that the targets for pronunciation teaching depend on two factors: the
context where English is learned and if the interaction is solely between non-native speakers, or
between non-native speakers and native speakers. (Brown, 1989).
‘A shared language of communication used between people whose main languages are different’(Jenkins,
2013). E.g., English has become a lingua franca in many parts of the world.
1
2
The ability to tell the difference between different sounds, e.g., pin vs. bin.
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
The Research Question
This Applied Linguistics research aims to show the importance of teaching pronunciation with
explicit spelling – pronunciation rules. Its main focus is on EFL/ESOL learners living in an Englishspeaking country, the United Kingdom, and who perceive ‘English as a barrier to employment’
(Schellenkes, 2001).
To present strong evidence, I am going to research:
1. What do students think of the importance of learning pronunciation rules explicitly in class?
Why do they believe it is/it is not important?
2. Do native speakers, such as employers who do not have a sophisticated understanding of EFL
(not teachers), judge English foreign-language speakers according to the way they sound?
Note: the second question is tentative, and it will be explored only if there is sufficient time left.
However, my research Hypothesis states:
focussed attention on rules (which aim to give clarity) about sound-spelling pronunciation in English
will promote learning to a greater extent than incidental exposure to the pronunciation of the same
vocabulary items. (Jones, H. Rodney, 2002)
The third and main research question is, therefore, stated as follows:
Does focus on explicit sound-spelling rules of English (Received) Pronunciation promote
learning to a greater extent than incidental exposure to RP and local varieties of
pronunciation?
Note that since the learners are all based in London, the target pronunciation would be British
English, where Received Pronunciation represents ‘a widely recognized accent of British English,
associated with education, broadcasting and the South of England’ (Oxford Learner’s Dictionary,
2020).
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Research Question Operationalisation
Quasi-Experimental Research – (Pseudo Experiment)
To answer the research question and measure learning, I intend to pre-test fifty learners’ ability to
pronounce particular sounds. Their levels of ESOL are Level 1 and Level 2 (B1-B2).
They will have to orally describe a picture that provides some labelled vocabulary with challenging
spelling and difficult phonemes.3
To reduce the extraneous variables,4 the participants who can already recognise the sound-spelling
correlation in the pre-test, i.e., produce the relevant sound(s), will be excluded from the experiment.
This is a deductive approach of researching, where a top-down approach is used to verify an initial
theory or testing hypothesis and observation to validate a pattern(s). In other words, ‘theory-thenresearch’. (Susan Gass, 2015).
Pseudo Experiment
Two groups of learners will be taught inductively the same amount of vocabulary lessons, i.e., rules
precede examples and practice.The experimental group will be given:
•
Access to the use of phonetic symbols.
•
Explicit focussed attention on sound-spelling pronunciation.
•
One particular sound-spelling rule to learn inductively.
•
The teacher’s modelling and drilling of the correct pronunciation.
The control group will be allowed:
•
Exposure to the same vocabulary.
•
Incidental learning of pronunciation, without pronunciation rules given, and without drilling.
•
The teacher’s modelling of the pronunciation only through error correction and interaction.
To finalise the experiment, I will post-test the participants to measure their improvement from the pretest through:
3
‘Any one of the sets of smallest units of speech in a language that make the difference between one word and
another. In English, the /s/ sound in ‘sip’ and the /z/ sound in ‘zip’ represent two different phonemes’ (Oxford
Learner’s Dictionary, 2020).
4
Independent variables over which the researcher has no control, and which interfere with the results of a study.
(Susan Gass, 2015)
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
•
A focussed attention operationalisation where the participants describe a different picture and
use untaught vocabulary containing the learned sounds and rules acquired during the
treatment sessions.
•
A semi-controlled use of the language to measure learning.
•
A test which is operationalised a week after the treatment.
To reiterate, my Research Hypothesis claims that attention to rules, rules which aim to give clarity
about sound-spelling pronunciation in English, will promote learning to a greater extent than
incidental exposure to the pronunciation of the same vocabulary items. (Jones, H. Rodney, 2002)
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Data collection
Mixed methods research (MMR)
Quantitative data is collected through:
•
Questionnaires to fifty learners to investigate their attitudes towards the needs and wants of
learning pronunciation explicitly, through clear-cut sound-spelling rules.
•
Questionnaires to ten native-speakers of English, where their perception of the competence of
three learners at different levels is investigated. As mentioned above, this is tentative.
I am confident that questionnaires are an appropriate tool to research data, as they allow the researcher
to objectively find numerical and statistical answers to the research question(s). (Phakiti A, 2015).
Qualitative data is collected through online interviews from:
•
2-3 learners to get a better insight into their beliefs related to learning pronunciation.
•
2-3 native speakers unaware of EFL learning. This is to investigate their perceptions of the
spoken competence of three students of English. (Tentative)
Individual interviews provide additional insight into the learning experience of each participant.
They add to the holistic idea of the research question(s). (Holliday A, 2015).
The triangulation of the three methods above, quantitative, qualitative, and experimental research
and approaches, while reinforcing each other, are likely to give me a clear and precise insight into
my initial hypothesis.
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
The Research Sample
Data is collected from adult learners of ESOL studying Level 1 and 2 at Burleigh College in
London.
Adult learners of ESOL studying Level 1 and 2 at Burleigh College are a convenience sample, and its
advantages are the following:
•
adult learners frequently possess 'Cognitive maturity and metalinguistic awareness5’
(Lightbrown, P. & Spada, 2006); this aids with acquiring new, related concepts.
•
Level 1 and 2 learners possess strong basic grammar and vocabulary, as they understand
complex instructions; these favourable circumstances will not prevent them from learning
pronunciation.
The disadvantages of this sample are that the selection of the participants is not random. I will be
working with 'intact classes,' i.e., pre-existent groups of learners, where some could be at the wrong
level, others might have been living in the UK extensively, while others would be newcomers.
Additionally, some ESOL learners have serious literacy difficulties and/or no previous education;
therefore, the concept of phonetic symbols6 could be challenging and overwhelming. (Khanna, A. et
al. 1998).
Accordingly, I should make sure to exclude misplaced learners and learners with learning difficulties.
There seems to be a general assumption that pronunciation affects how native speakers perceive a
non-native speaker's ability to speak English. Consequently, I would like to collect data from ten
native-speakers of English if I have enough time. It is vital to exclude native speakers who are EFL
teachers, as having a sophisticated understanding of how a language is learned might impact their
judgment.
The advantages of this sample:


The selection of the participants is random, and they would not have a sophisticated
knowledge of EFL.
This selection can potentially give the real picture of how native speakers perceive foreign
speech competence.
The disadvantages of this sample are that participants might have individual prejudice irrespective
of the learners’ use of language.
All participants will be contacted via Zoom Meetings, where they will be given instructions and
information about the research. They will be sent questionnaires to fill in on Google Forms, a free
online survey platform.
Every participant will receive the same form, with their answers instantly collected and with
immediate access to statistics and charts which summarise the results. The form is shared via email or
a direct link, and it can also be connected to a spreadsheet on Sheets to record the answers in realtime.
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Knowledge of the jargon and the language used to describe/analyse language.
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Special characters/symbols which represent each speech sound.
Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
It allows:
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
Multiple Choice answers, Short Answer and Paragraph responses.

Checkboxes, and drop-down.

Linear Scale.

Multiple Choice Grid, Checkbox Grid.
Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Analysis
Surveys/questionnaires
Results would be appropriately interpreted through descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of
quantitative data, as it gives:



Construct validity: ‘the extent to which the research adequately captures the concept in
question’ (Susan Gass, 2015)
'Face validity': the participants' perception of the relevance of specific research activities or
other educational and second language activities.
Objective numerical and statistical answers through descriptive and inferential analysis: the
former describes the sample. The latter makes predictions about the population of ESOL
learners in the U.K.
According to Taylor, Courtney. (2020) common descriptive statistical techniques:

mean (average),

median,

standard deviation (and/or variance)

skewness.
Common inferential statistical techniques:

t-tests,

ANOVAs,

correlation analysis

regression analysis
Surveys/questionnaires/Interviews
Results would be appropriately interpreted through qualitative data as well, as it focuses on words,
descriptions, or ideas and explores the tiniest details.
Based on my research question, which investigates the unique experience of learning English, I
intend to use the following methods:
Qualitative content analysis
According to Creswell, J. W. (1998) and Strauss, A. and Corbin, J. (1998) this method has the
following advantages:
 finds and analyses patterns within the content, such as the frequency with which an idea
occurs, and identifies patterns of deeper underlying interpretations.
 Aids code re-grouping, summarising into categories and themes.
Disadvantages:
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
It is a lengthy process which can miss key subtlety in communication. Additionally, I might
need to focus on body language and intonation as well, rather than having words and
expressions as the sole source of codes.
Grounded theory (GT)
According to Rennie, D. L., Phillips, J. R., Quartaro, G. K. (1988) GT presents the following
advantages:
 It enables explicit generation and confirmation of a theory concerning the factors which
might influence students who are genuinely interested in learning pronunciation.
 Requires an analysis of a small sample (e.g., two or three ESOL students representing the
population) through data collection from surveys/interviews.
 Leads to a general hypothesis or pattern such as, for instance, ‘ESOL learners are more
motivated to learn pronunciation if they are frequently misunderstood, or if they struggle to
understand others.’
Disadvantages:
It is easy to lose the depth of each participant’s experience or meaning within the analysis,
and therefore my aim will be not to do so.
Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA)
Advantages:
 IPA is subject-centred as well, and it implies a small sample size analysis of two or three
learners.
 It will enhance my understanding of the experiences/ideas of the sample (ESOL learners in
the U.K) in relation to perceiving the need of learning pronunciation (the phenomenon).
Disadvantages/ethical issues
 It is critical to reflect on my subjective biases as, being a non-native speaker of English, I
could show my strong feelings of the necessity to teach pronunciation explicitly and influence
the participants.
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Implications
The possible implication(s) of the findings of this Applied Linguistics Research for language
teaching could be to raise both teachers’ and educational institutions’ awareness in the UK of the need
of teaching pronunciation explicitly to learners who have come to live in the country with the intent of
finding employment, pursuing higher education studies and being active members of the society.
Language teachers can use this research to reflect on their practice. It should lead them to enquire
about their learners' needs and expectations and teach accordingly. For instance, ‘pronunciation’ is a
recurrent language system in the mark schemes for each ESOL exams for Speaking, but it is rarely
addressed. Therefore, if the research hypothesis is confirmed, teachers and institutions in U.K.-based
colleges could adapt their ways of delivering effective lessons by focusing on teaching pronunciation.
Teacher training centres that provide professional instruction (CELTA, DELTA, TEFL, TESOL) to
new ESOL/EFL teachers may want to examine to what extent they are preparing their candidates to
be confident practitioners. I could witness during my Celta and Delta training, and in my working
experience as a teacher, that even after completing their teacher training, most ESOL/EFL teachers
yet lacked the confidence to teach pronunciation, as well as they were unaware of how to access and
use the right resources, which inevitably affects the learners' perception of a correlation between
sounds and spelling.
Unfortunately, 'very little research has focused on L2's teachers' knowledge, beliefs, or readiness to
teach pronunciation' (Murphy, 2014: 191), and this might be an interesting topic to further research
in the future.
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
Ethical issues and other matters
Academic integrity, following ethical and accepted conventions, such as acknowledging and honestly
reporting and referencing other researchers’ work, avoiding plagiarism, replicability, and avoiding
misinterpreting the work of other authors are paramount.
All participants have the right of anonymity with the use of pseudonyms, and all data will be stored
securely on a password protected device and deleted after the research completion. (De Costa P,
2015)
Being the class teacher, i.e., in a position of power, may make my students reluctant to withdraw
or decline to take part in the project; therefore, before the project takes place, and before the
participants sign a statement of voluntary participation, I should ensure that they all understand their
right of refusal and withdrawal at any time during the experiment and surveys.
Although aware of the real benefits from the research, both the participants and Burleigh College
should be reassured that if my intervention does prove to be useful and therefore the experimental
group performs significantly better than the control group, I am going to repeat the same
activities, with the same approaches at a later stage with the disadvantaged participants. It would
not be ethical to withhold an intervention that results beneficial from the control group.
However, if the intervention harms the experimental group's understanding, I intend to provide
additional training to reinforce the planned initial treatment sessions.
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
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Gilakjani, A. P. & Sabouri, (2016) N. B. Why Is English Pronunciation Ignored by EFL Teachers in
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Teaching pronunciation inductively to ESOL/EFL learners in the UK
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