The Influence of Training in EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Pronunciation Instruction in Secondary Schools in Spain

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DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5944/epos.40.2024.42832

Abstract

EFL students in Spain are expected to have a good pronunciation when they finish secondary education. However, many times practitioners avoid teaching it. This study aims at investigating how training in general phonetics/phonology and pronunciation teaching affects EFL teachers’ beliefs and attitudes towards pronunciation instruction in secondary schools in Spain. Thirty-eight teachers took an online survey from May to October 2023. A mixed-method analysis was conducted: first, three different linear mixed models were run to examine eleven different teachers’ beliefs rated on a 7-point Likert scale; second, teachers’ opinions on the instruction of different pronunciation features were examined with percentages. Results reveal that those teachers who have received training show a more positive attitude, especially when having received training in pronunciation teaching. Besides, intonation stands as the most important feature to teach. These findings suggest that pronunciation should have a more prominent role within teaching professional development.

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Author Biography

Leticia Quesada Vázquez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Leticia Quesada currently works as Assistant Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid. She worked as the director of the bachelor’s degree in Applied Modern Languages at Nebrija University (2021-2023), and as Adjunct Professor at Rovira i Virgili University (2011-2021) and Escola Universitària Mediterrani (2019-2021). She has extent experience teaching English language courses, English for specific purposes and English pronunciation in different bachelor’s degree at different institutions. Thanks to the Fulbright program (FLTA), she also taught Spanish at Lincoln University (2013-2014).

Her research focuses on teaching English pronunciation to Spanish/Catalan speakers. In 2016, she obtained a Martí i Franquès grant to study her Ph.D in Humanities Studies at Rovira i Virgili University, which she successfully obtained in 2019. During her Ph.D studies, she did a stay at the LIDILEM laboratory (Université Grenoble-Alpes, 2018). She has participated in several research projects and conferences, and published in renowned journals like Onomázein.

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Published

2024-12-18

How to Cite

Quesada Vázquez, L. (2024). The Influence of Training in EFL Teachers’ Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Pronunciation Instruction in Secondary Schools in Spain. Epos : Revista de filología, (40), 206–237. https://doi.org/10.5944/epos.40.2024.42832

Issue

No. 40 (2024): Epos: Revista de filología

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2024 Leticia Quesada Vázquez

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