Non native English speaking teachers' self perceptions of their pronunciation and pronunciation teaching practices

Abstract

Native English speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) have been studied by many researchers in the literature in regards to the similarities and differences between these two types of teachers, their perceptions of teaching English, as well as their language proficiency levels (AlOmrani, 2008; Arva & Medgyes, 2000; Ezberci, 2005; Lipovsky & Mahboob, 2007; Merino, 1997; Shen & Wu, 2007; Tajino & Tajino, 2000). Yet, there is still a lack of in-depth studies that solely focus on NNESTs' teaching of a specific skill and their perceptions of their own language skills and the relationship between these two aspects. In this respect, the present study with 140 Turkish NNESTs aimed to examine self perceptions of NNESTs about their pronunciation skills, their pronunciation teaching practices and the relationship between their self perceptions of their English pronunciation and their pronunciation teaching practices. The self perceptions and pronunciation teaching practices of the NNESTs were also examined in regards to the following factors; 1) Teaching Experience, 2) Degree of Education, 3) Taking Phonology Classes, 4) Having a Native English Speaking Teacher, and 5) Time Spent in English Speaking Countries. The data were collected through a five-point Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed quantitatively by means of statistical measures. The results revealed that having a native English speaking instructor, taking phonology classes and spending time in English speaking countries are the factors that affect NNESTs' perceptions and their teaching practices. While having a native English speaking teacher and spending time in English speaking countries are the factors that led the NNESTs rate their own pronunciation skills low, in terms of classroom practices, the most influential factor is taking phonology classes which positively affects the pronunciation teaching occurrence in their classes. The study also revealed that there is no significant relationship between the self perceptions of NNESTs and pronunciation teaching practices. Concerning the results above, this study implied that NNESTs a) should not be underestimated about their pronunciation teaching; b) should be encouraged to take phonology classes as part of their professional development.