EFL Learners’ Attitudes towards the Proper Pronunciation of English and Podcasts as a Facilitator of Proper Pronunciation

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the attitudes of Saudi students of English towards proper pronunciation, and podcasts as a facilitator of proper pronunciation. It will discover the importance given to correct pronunciation, as well as gauging learners' attitudes towards the possibility of introducing podcasts as a new language input tool for facilitating improvements in pronunciation. To achieve this, the previous literature in this area is reviewed, followed by presenting the results and analysing the data from an attitudinal questionnaire distributed amongst 23 Level 3 Saudi EFL learners from the department of English at Imam University. The questionnaire is divided into two parts-one concerning proper pronunciation, and the other podcasts. The data analysis shows that the participants, in spite of the low rate of improvement in their pronunciation, have positive attitudes towards the proper pronunciation of English. This outcome is compatible with previous studies` results, which assert that having a positive attitude towards a particular language and its speakers can improve pronunciation. The students were presented with a total of five podcasts related to their speaking and listening textbook for use over an eight week period, and at the end of this time they were requested to complete the questionnaire. The findings support the usefulness of examining learners` attitudes towards new Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) applications before using them in a practical way. The results show a high rate of acceptance of podcasts and that, overall, the students have positive attitudes towards them.

English Department Students’ Experience and Opinions on the Use of Podcast for Learning English Independently

“…On research concerning podcasts as a facilitator of proper pronunciation, the result shows that the activity of podcasting can potentially increase students' performance in pronunciation skill, aside from its impact to the language development in general (Almaqrn & Alshaheb, 2017). Not only because learners can imitate word pronunciation they heard, but there are also lots of podcast providers providing pronunciation-specific content, just like pronunciation training, teaching various components of pronunciation.…”

High school language division students’ perceptions of English as a Lingua Franca

“…Rightly or wrongly, people often judge a speaker's level of language competence by his/her pronunciation in terms of fluency and accuracy. In this respect, creating a positive first impression on one's interlocutors really counts, particularly in the professional world (Almaqrn & Alshabeb, 2017). In spite of the socalled emphasis on speaking in policy documents and classroom materials, it has been ignored in schools and universities because of various reasons, yet mostly due to the exaggerated feelings of grammar and vocabulary being of significant value in language teaching practices (Leong & Ahmadi, 2017).…”

“…The perceptions which are good, bad and neutral may develop or prevent the learning process effectively (Ahmed, 2015). However, it should also be noted that language learning is affected by both attitudes and motivation, since learners with a negative attitude are unlikely to produce satisfactory results (Almaqrn & Alshabeb, 2017). There is no denying the fact that teachers who take an important role in developing students' language skills in foreign language classrooms are often the first agent in forming how students view language-related constructs, such as grammar and speech patterns, in the target language.…”

“…Although this is not explicitly articulated in the studies, it is very likely that by pronunciation, those studies allude to the standard versions of English, predominantly those of British English and American English. Furthermore, Almaqrn and Alshabeb (2017) reported that 52% of respondents stated that learning vocabulary and grammar was more important than good pronunciation skills. In spite of the students' strong-willed attitude towards pronunciation, most participants had a higher expectation of students' performance in grammar, with 85% of them expecting students to use English with correct grammar (Q6).…”

Improving English as a Second Language Learners’ Attitudes to Pronunciation through Motivation

“…Like other ESL skills, good pronunciation helps learners with their communicative efficiency. Kriedler (1989) in Almaqrn and Alshabeb (2017) states that correct and clear pronunciation is important in language learning, since without it, learners might not be understood and may be poorly perceived by other English speakers. Morley (1998) also argues that pronunciation plays an important role in helping learners to become more intelligible speakers.…”