1 Teaching and learning English pronunciation - IS MU

MASARYK UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE
Some aspects of assessing pronunciation in EFL classes Diploma thesis
Brno 2007 Supervisor: Written by:
PhDr. Jaroslav Ondrá?ek Simona ?ebestová
Declaration
I hereby declare that this thesis is my own and that I used only the
resources stated.
Simona ?ebestová
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Acknowledgements
I wish to thank to PhDr. Jaroslav Ondrá?ek, the supervisor of my
thesis, for his valuable advice and guidance on the whole work.
Thanks also belong to Petra Ho?ej?í and ?t?pánka Zemanová for their
help with the assessment and my special thank goes to all my
students who willingly cooperated.
Contents
Introduction 6
1 Teaching and learning English pronunciation 7
1. 1 The role of the teacher 8
1. 2 The role of the learner 8
1. 3 Setting goals in English pronunciation 9
1. 4 What affects pronunciation learning 11
1. 4. 1 The native language 11
1. 4. 2 The age 12
1. 4. 3 Phonetic ability 13
1. 4. 4 Exposure to the language 14
1. 4. 5 Attitude and sense of identity 15
1. 4. 6 Motivation 16
2 Giving feedback on pronunciation 16
2. 1 Assessment methods 17
2. 2. 1 Impression-based pronunciation testing 18
2. 2. 2 Atomistic testing 19
2. 2. 3 Holistic testing 21
2. 2. 4 Atomistic versus holistic approach 25
3 Practical part 26
3. 1 Introduction 26
3. 2 Evocation 27
3. 2. 1 Activity 1 29
3. 2. 2 Activity 2 31
3. 3 Realisation 34
3. 3. 1 Limited-response activities 35
3. 3. 2 Free-response activities 38
3. 4 Reflexion 40
4 Research part 46
4. 1 Plan and goals 47
4. 2 Methods 47
4. 3 Evocation and pre-research 48
4. 4 Realisation 52
4. 4. 1 Atomistic testing results 54
4. 4. 2 Holistic testing results 57
4. 5 Reflexion 63
4. 5. 1 Assessors' agreement in atomistic testing 64
4. 5. 2 Assessors' agreement in holistic testing 67
Conclusion 70
Appendix 1 73
Appendix 2 75
Bibliography 77
Introduction English language plays a dominant role in modern world. Each of us
has ever been encountered with the necessity to learn the language for many
reasons. For many people the most important function of any language is
communication with other people when travelling, studying or working in a
foreign country. Therefore, the trend of learning English is increasing and
the opportunities for the actual use of the language are becoming more
frequent. The topic of this work is based largely on the communicative
function of language - speaking and listening. We intend to deal with an
aspect of English which is, in our opinion, often neglected in English
lessons - pronunciation testing and its assessment. The idea arose from our belief that teaching pronunciation should be
a part of a syllabus of any English course, moreover, should be included
from the very beginning. One reason for this statement is that it is
generally believed that the age factor is influencial and small children
can learn pronunciation more easily than the older or adults. The next
benefit of pronunciation learning is its possible effect on listening
skills. In order that our communication is comfortable for both sides, we
need to understand as well as our speaking should be understandable. So the
practice of our pronunciation helps other people to understand us better.
Nowadays, almost every coursebook offers pronunciation practice but
any suggestions on giving such a structured feedback like those on other
aspects of language are rare. We will try to present ways of testing
pronounciation and try to deal with the possible ways of the consequent
assessment.
Apart from the objective methods of testing pronunciation which are
not usually available in schools, there are other - more often used -
subjective methods. These methods are based on the assessor's impression,
so certain criteria should be followed to reach as reliable results as
possible.
The first part of this work will present the tasks needed to be
considered for efficient learning and teaching - the role of the teacher
and the learner and the factors which have an effect on the whole
pronunciation teaching and learning process.
Next, we will give an overview of the testing methods in connection
with the two approaches to impression-based assessment - atomistic and
holistic.
The last research part will implement the theory into practice and
find out about what results can be actually brought by the pronunciation
testing and what problems in assessment may be encountered.
1 Teaching and learning English pronunciation Pronunciation seems to be sometimes a neglected part in our English
lessons. Many teachers are not used to teaching it for many reasons. As
most teachers in our schools are not native speakers, there is no need to
set native-like pronunciation as one of our goals, moreover, most teachers
themselves do not feel perfect in this language component and thus feel
reluctant to show it. But we do not need to be perfect to enable our pupils
to achieve their best. The next obstruction for teachers is the lack of
pronunciation tests and general unfamiliarity with their assessment.
Nevertheless, giving feedback on correct speaking to our students should be
involved. Learning pronunciation will elevate their level of speaking and
undoubtedly will improve their listening skills.
Before teaching pronunciation, many aspects should be taken into
account. Among the most important ones are the roles of the teacher and the
learner. On the one hand, what they aim to achieve and, on the other hand,
what they are willing to give to succeed in achieving it. Before setting up
goals and working out a plan, the teacher should know about their learners'
skills and limitations. Needless to say, the overview of the various
aspects of English pronunciation - sounds, stress, rhythm and intonation -
is essential. 1. 1 The role of the teacher
As pronunciation is a very complex language component, there are many
tasks for the teacher. Firstly, helping learners hear and produce sounds
from their native language point of view. Secondly, it is establishing what
to concentrate on. It is advisable to set out priorities according to the
acceptability to the English speaker as well as to what is beyond good
intelligibility and is not necessary to take one's stand on. Thirdly,
devising activities, adjusting them for different learning styles, and
according to the aspects which influence pronunciation learning as it is
going to be described in the following chapters. The last but not least
important task is providing feedback and assessing learners' performance
and progress. Assessing one's own production of speech is very difficult as
we tend to hear ourselves in a distorted way and thus it is complicated to
compare with the correct production. Moreover, the feedback on how the
learner is doing and progressing is an essential motivation factor in
further pronunciation learning. 1. 2 The role of the learner
The learner's role is the same as in any other subject which means
taking one's own responsibility and being willing to learn. Here, the
teacher's possibilities are limited, but still the choice of appropriate
activities, motivating learners and building the general awareness of
usefulness may be supportive. For example, one of the methods for
increasing motivation can be a class-discussion based on one's own
experience with foreigners and their pronunciation, what is acceptable and
what is disruptive while talking to a foreigner in any language. The issue
of motivation within all subjects of learning is definitely very complex,
depending on many inner and outer factors and should not be neglected. 1. 3 Setting goals in English pronunciation
People learn languages for many different purposes. And therefore,
the goals for individual learners may vary. From the teachers' point of
view, the following aspects should be taken into account: the age, natural
ability and motivation of the learners which is to be the base for
answering the questions about how much time we will devote to teaching
pronunciation and what level is needed for obtaining efficient
communication. This is difficult, since, in contrast with e. g. grammar or
vocabulary plans, pronunciation does not enable this particular progressive
pace as all phonetic and phonological features occur from the very
beginning. Nevertheless, we can count on the subconscious acquisition of
the sound of English which will be beneficial for both, teachers and
learners, later on.
We can delimit two extreme targets in learning pronunciation. On the
one hand, some learners aim to obtain native-like pronunciation, on the
other hand, many learners