PRESERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNING AND TEACHING PRONUNCIATION
PRESERVICE ENGLISH TEACHERS’ ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS ABOUT LEARNING AND TEACHING PRONUNCIATION

Summary/Abstract: Language teachers’ beliefs and attitudes about various aspects of teaching are shaped during teacher education. Investigating preservice English teachers’ (PrETs) perspectives on certain areas can be useful in better understanding the dynamics of teacher education and taking further actions on teachers’ developmental processes. This study examines PrETs’ beliefs and attitudes towards learning and teaching pronunciation in Turkey. With a descriptive methodology, a 40-item questionnaire based on Sardegna and Kusey (2014) and Seyedabadi et al., (2014) was presented to PrETs (N=150) enrolled in the English Language Teaching (ELT) programs of three state universities in Turkey. The results of the study indicate that PrETs consider pronunciation an essential part of language learning; yet they need further training on how to teach pronunciation in class. PrETs commonly considered native-like pronunciation an ideal goal for themselves, which implies a tendency to associate an English teacher’s pronunciation with perfection. The results also suggest a reconsideration of the content of pronunciation classes in ELT programs.

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