Spanish EFL university students' views on the teaching of pronunciation: a survey-based study

Abstract

[eng] Students who complete a BA in English Language and Literature are expected to be competent in the four main language skills, should be able to comprehend and produce both written and oral texts and also have an in-depth knowledge in other areas, including pronunciation. English pronunciation is considered one of the most difficult skills to acquire and develop for Spanish learners of English, so it should be taught systematically at different levels of proficiency, even the most advanced. However, pronunciation is still rather neglected in EFL teaching, and although research has been carried out on this topic, very few studies take into consideration students' views on pronunciation teaching. This study is part of a project1 that aims to identify the current role of pronunciation in the Grado en Lengua y Literatura Inglesas degree, according to the actual students' views. The results obtained indicate that, although students generally believe the teaching of pronunciation to be crucial, it only plays a minor role in their EFL classes and teaching materials.