Agelat EFL Secondary School Teachers' Perspectives Towards Teaching English Pronunciation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64095/saj.v2i2.766Keywords:
English Pronunciation, EFL teachers, challenges, perspectives, secondary education, teaching.Abstract
Pronunciation is an essential skill for learning English language in EFL context. However, it is often ignored by EFL teachers. This study was conducted to investigate the perspectives of Agelat EFL secondary school teachers towards teaching English pronunciation and the challenges they face in this process. A mixed-methods approach was employed in this investigation. The quantitative data were collected through administering a close-ended questionnaire to 42 EFL secondary school teachers in Agelat, while the qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with six teachers selected from those who participated in the questionnaire. A manual descriptive statistical analysis was employed to analyze the quantitative data, and the content analysis method was used for the qualitative data. The findings obtained revealed that the majority of participant teachers hold positive perspectives regarding the importance of teaching English pronunciation to EFL secondary students. A variety of teaching strategies have been reported by teachers, including audiovisual materials, role-play activities and repetition and drilling. However, the study identified a significant theory-practice gap: despite positive perspectives toward teaching pronunciation, teachers continue to prioritize vocabulary and grammar instruction. Teachers identified several challenges included inadequate professional training, limited time, insufficient materials and resources, L1 interference, large class sizes, and lack of student motivation. To address these challenges, it is essential for the Libyan Ministry of Education to reform curriculum, tailor teacher training, and provide necessary materials for effective pronunciation teaching in Libyan EFL secondary education.
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