Pronunciation Instruction at Secondary Schools in Spain: A Survey Study

Abstract

Learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) in Spain are often expected to possess a good command of its pronunciation when finishing secondary education, but this expectation is not always met. Although recent studies support the beneficial effect of pronunciation instruction to improve students’ communicative skills in a foreign language, EFL teachers tend to avoid it due to a lack of confidence and training. The present study aims at investigating whether having received training in phonetics/phonology and/or pronunciation teaching affects EFL practitioners’ choices of the pronunciation features to teach. The study builds on a research project on pronunciation instruction in EFL Spanish secondary schools. Thirty-eight teachers around the country participated via online survey between May and October 2023. Five different pronunciation features were examined: vowel sounds, consonant sounds, stress, rhythm and intonation. Percentages were calculated and Fisher’s exact tests were run. Despite the lack of statistical significance, percentages revealed that those participants who had received training in general pronunciation, specific pronunciation instruction, or both tended to teach segmental aspects rather than suprasegmental ones. Furthermore, rhythm was the pronunciation feature least taught. By contrast, those participants with no instruction claimed to teach suprasegmentals more often than segmentals. Although more subjects are needed to reach conclusive results, and teaching methods and techniques need to be examined more in depth, this study contributes to shedding more light on the current role of pronunciation instruction in Spanish schools, and the potential improvements to enhance effective pronunciation teaching in the EFL classroom.