The English Pronunciation Teaching in Europe Survey : Factors Inside and Outside the Classroom

Abstract

This paper presents a subset of findings from a European-wide, on-line survey of English pronunciation teaching practices (EPTiES). Quantitative and qualitative data from seven countries (Finland, France, Germany, Macedonia, Poland, Spain and Switzerland) are presented, focusing on teachers' comments about the training they received to teach English pronunciation, about what they do inside the classroom and about what happens outside the classroom in terms of students' exposure to English. The results of EPTiES and of follow-up interviews reveal interesting phenomena across Europe. Most of the teacher-respondents were non-native speakers of English and felt they had little or no training in how to teach pronunciation, which raises the question of how teachers are coping with this key aspect of language teaching. Differences between countries are explored, especially via replies to open-ended questions and relevant contextual factors (e.g. language policy) allowing a more nuanced picture to emerge for each country. Suggestions are made for improving teacher training and for further research.