Pronunciation Teaching in English Language Classrooms in Saudi Arabia: Teachers’ Cognition and Practice

Abstract

Research over the last two decades has shown that teaching pronunciation is both effective and important in language education. Nowadays, therefore, many English language textbooks include pronunciation activities. It is not clear yet how this has affected or changed teachers’ beliefs and practices in different teaching contexts. The current study examined English teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding pronunciation instruction in Saudi Arabia. Semi-structured interviews with Saudi teachers were conducted and analyzed in 2023. The teachers acknowledged the importance of pronunciation but had mixed opinions about how it should be taught, with most emphasizing the effectiveness of listening extensively to native input. Their teaching practice was limited to teaching the activities included in textbooks, which some described as insufficient for addressing their students’ needs. The teachers also mentioned they correct students’ pronunciation mistakes only when they affect intelligibility, with a primary focus on individual sounds. They reported prioritizing the teaching of other language skills over pronunciation due to limited class time and exams being focused on other aspects of language. The teachers unequivocally expressed the need for further training. Three areas of professional development were mentioned: a good knowledge base in phonetics, pronunciation teaching strategies, and English pronunciation. The present study concludes that pronunciation is still marginalized in English classrooms in Saudi Arabia, and teachers’ lack of training, as well as limited class time, play a role in this marginalization.

Plain language summary

English language teachers’ beliefs and practice regarding teaching English pronunciation in Saudi Arabia

The research over the past 20 years has shown that teaching pronunciation is both effective and important in language education. As a result, many English language textbooks now include pronunciation activities. However, it is not yet clear how this has affected or changed the beliefs and teaching practices of teachers in different contexts. This study looked at the beliefs and practices of English teachers regarding pronunciation instruction in Saudi Arabia. The researchers interviewed Saudi teachers and analyzed their responses. The teachers believed pronunciation is important, but had mixed views on how it should be taught, with most favoring extensive listening to authentic language input. The teachers’ actual teaching was limited to the pronunciation activities included in their textbooks, which they felt were insufficient to meet their students’ needs. They only corrected pronunciation mistakes that affected intelligibility, and tended to prioritize teaching other language skills over pronunciation due to limited class time and exam focus. The teachers clearly expressed a need for further training in three key areas: phonetics knowledge, pronunciation teaching strategies, and English pronunciation itself. The study concludes that pronunciation remains a marginalized aspect of English instruction in Saudi Arabia, due in part to teachers’ lack of training as well as limited class time.

Introduction

After years of marginalization in English as a foreign/second language classrooms (EFL/ESL, hereafter), pronunciation teaching is now part of the English language curriculum (Pennington, 2021). This revival of pronunciation teaching is largely due to the increasing amount of research conducted over the last two decades showing the positive impact of pronunciation teaching on spoken intelligibility (e.g., Jones, 2017). Many English language textbooks now include pronunciation components, albeit lacking consistency in both quality and quantity (T. M. Derwing et al., 2012). Despite the obvious advancement in research on pronunciation teaching and the introduction of explicit pronunciation teaching in EFL/ESL curricula, pronunciation is still sidelined in EFL/ESL classrooms in comparison with other language skills (Darcy et al., 2021; Foote et al., 2016). This has been attributed to several factors, among which are a lack of training for teachers and the belief among them that teaching pronunciation is ineffective (T. Derwing, 2023; Kochem, 2022).

A growing body of research has examined the cognition and practices of English language teachers with regard to pronunciation teaching (e.g., Bai & Yuan, 2019; Baker, 2014; Couper, 2021; Darcy et al., 2021; Foote et al., 2011, 2016; Georgiou, 2019; Henderson et al., 2015; T. Nguyen & Newton, 2020). Common findings include insufficient time allocated to pronunciation teaching in EFL/ESL classes, and the lack of training for and confidence among language teachers to teach pronunciation. It is, nonetheless, difficult to draw firm conclusions or generalizations about teachers’ cognition and practices due to variation in examined language contexts. For instance, in EFL contexts, where English is neither official nor native, most teachers are nonnative speakers. In contrast, in ESL contexts, where English is a primary or native language, most teachers are native speakers (Selvi et al., 2024).

A number of studies have examined teachers’ pronunciation teaching cognition and practices in EFL contexts (e.g., Alsofyani & Algethami, 2017; Bai & Yuan, 2019; Buss, 2016; Georgiou, 2019; Henderson et al., 2015; T. Nguyen & Newton, 2020). Two studies examined pronunciation teaching beliefs and practices among English language teachers in Saudi Arabia (Alsofyani & Algethami, 2017; Altoeriqi, 2020). Both used a questionnaire with closed-ended questions to collect data about teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding pronunciation teaching in Saudi Arabia. While these studies provide valuable information about pronunciation teaching in the Saudi EFL context, we strongly believe that qualitative data from interviews would provide a more accurate and richer characterization of teachers’ cognition and practices (Couper, 2021). Therefore, we used semi-structured interviews with EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia to explore their cognition and practices around pronunciation teaching. It was expected that the findings would provide a more detailed account of the current state of English pronunciation teaching in EFL classes in Saudi Arabia.

English Language Teaching in Saudi Arabia

Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia, used in education, media, and daily communication. English serves as a widespread lingua franca, particularly in business contexts, which promotes its learning and teaching throughout the country (Alharbi, 2017; Elyas & Al-Hoorie, 2024). Recent national initiatives, such as Saudi Vision 2023 and the opening of the country to tourists and foreign investors, have intensified the focus on English education. Saudi students generally hold a positive view of English, recognizing its importance for the job market (Althobaiti, 2024). They place significant emphasis on teaching pronunciation and aspire to achieve a native-like accent in English (Almusharraf, 2022).

In Saudi public schools, English is taught as a foreign language from the first year of primary school to the last year of secondary school (Altalhab, 2023). Primary schools allocate three 45-min classes per week to English, while intermediate schools offer four classes, and secondary schools provide five classes. The curriculum is developed by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with international publishers, such as Macmillan and McGraw Hill, to ensure it is linguistically and culturally appropriate. The majority of English teachers are non-native Saudi nationals (Al-Hoorie et al., 2021). Although most students attend public schools, some attend private institutions, where English curricula vary widely.

At the tertiary level, English is commonly used as the medium of instruction for disciplines like health, engineering, and computing. Consequently, many universities and colleges offer English language courses in the first year to prepare students for their English-delivered major programs (Elyas & Al-Hoorie, 2024). These institutions typically develop their own curricula, often utilizing textbooks from reputable international publishers such as Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. These curricula vary, but common elements include adopting the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages and selecting an intermediate level as the exit point (Elyas & Al-Hoorie, 2024). Teachers for these preparatory courses vary widely in nationality and qualifications, but the majority are non-native Saudi nationals.

Literature Review

Teachers’ cognition refers “to the unobservable cognitive dimension of teaching – what teachers know, believe, and think” (Borg, 2003, p. 81). Because of the potential effect of teachers’ cognition on their teaching practices and professional development, teachers’ cognition has received substantial attention in previous applied linguistics research (Baker, 2014; Borg, 2003). Examination of teachers’ practices inside EFL/ESL classrooms can help uncover discrepancies between their beliefs and practices, which can result from various external factors such as the curriculum or lack of training (Bai & Yuan, 2019).

A number of studies have examined teachers’ cognition and practices around pronunciation teaching in various EFL/ESL contexts (Bai & Yuan, 2019; Baker, 2014; Breitkreutz et al., 2001; Buss, 2016; Couper, 2021; Foote et al., 2011, 2016; Georgiou, 2019; Gordon, 2019; Henderson et al., 2015; Jarosz, 2023; L. T. Nguyen & Burri, 2024; T. Nguyen & Newton, 2020; Phuong, 2022; Sifakis & Sougari, 2005; Tsunemoto et al., 2023). Breitkreutz et al. (2001) conducted one of the earliest studies on teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding English pronunciation teaching in Canada. Their findings indicated that teachers recognized the importance of pronunciation instruction but often lacked appropriate training. A decade later, Foote et al. (2011) replicated the study and obtained similar results. Additionally, Foote et al. (2011) used classroom observation data and found that pronunciation teaching occurred infrequently and primarily targeted individual sounds. In another ESL context, Baker (2014) explored the knowledge, cognition, and practices of five experienced ESL teachers in North America. The study found variability in the teachers’ knowledge of pronunciation teaching and practices, with an overall tendency to use less communicative approaches to instruction in practice. Couper (2021) compared teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices regarding pronunciation instruction across two different contexts: ESL (native English teachers in New Zealand) and EFL (nonnative English teachers in Uruguay). Understandably, unlike the native English teachers, the nonnative teachers lacked confidence in their own pronunciation. Both groups, however, reported gaps in their phonological and pedagogical knowledge and faced similar challenges, such as lack of time and curricular materials for teaching pronunciation.

Sifakis and Sougari (2005) examined Greek EFL teachers’ attitudes toward pronunciation teaching models. They found that teachers considered a native-like accent the goal for pronunciation instruction and believed that teaching materials, such as conversations, should feature native speakers. Henderson et al. (2015) found that English language teachers across Europe need more training in pronunciation instruction. Buss (2016) investigated Brazilian EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices concerning pronunciation instruction and found that they generally held positive views about its effectiveness. Their approach predominantly focused on addressing problematic sounds through repetition as needed, and they expressed a desire for additional training in pronunciation teaching. Bai and Yuan (2019) explored the beliefs and practices of nonnative English teachers in Hong Kong and found that while these teachers appreciate the importance of teaching pronunciation, they often lack confidence and adequate training in this area. Georgiou (2019) surveyed three age groups of Greek-Cypriot EFL teachers regarding their beliefs and practices related to pronunciation instruction. While older teachers prioritized other language aspects over pronunciation, all groups encountered similar challenges, including a lack of training and insufficient teaching time and materials. Tsunemoto et al. (2023) revealed that Japanese pre-service English teachers with lower levels of experience exhibited a stronger belief in learners’ ability to modify their pronunciation compared to their more experienced counterparts. Vietnamese EFL teachers were found to value providing students with feedback on their pronunciation, focusing particularly on individual errors (Phuong, 2022). In a different study, L. T. Nguyen and Burri (2024) found that Vietnamese EFL teachers often lack adequate preparation for teaching pronunciation. Jarosz (2023) discovered a discrepancy between the beliefs of Polish EFL teachers and their actual practices, recommending more pedagogical training and the development of specialized materials for pronunciation teaching.

Notable findings from previous research include teachers’ lack of confidence and training in teaching pronunciation and having limited time allocated to pronunciation teaching. It is difficult to generalize these findings to all teaching contexts, given that context is expected to factor into teachers’ cognition and practices. Therefore, the current study examines teachers’ cognition and practices regarding EFL pronunciation teaching in Saudi Arabia. Two previous studies have attempted to investigate the beliefs and practices of EFL teachers with respect to pronunciation teaching in Saudi Arabia (Alsofyani & Algethami, 2017; Altoeriqi, 2020). Alsofyani and Algethami (2017) examined the cognition and practices of 55 EFL teachers in a Saudi public university in relation to pronunciation teaching. The results revealed that the teachers considered teaching pronunciation to be of high importance and that many of them incorporated pronunciation in their teaching. The findings also indicated that the teachers required additional training and appropriate resources to teach pronunciation effectively. Altoeriqi (2020) investigated the perception and practices of EFL teachers with regard to pronunciation teaching in public schools located in a central city in Saudi Arabia. Most of the teachers expressed confidence in teaching pronunciation and valued its importance. However, similar to what Alsofyani and Algethami (2017) found, the majority of teachers wished for more training on how to teach pronunciation, despite the high levels of confidence they reported. In contrast to the findings of Alsofyani and Algethami (2017), Altoeriqi (2020) found that teachers did not rely solely on textbooks: they used other supplementary materials in their classes. Although they provide important insight into EFL pronunciation teaching in Saudi Arabia, the two studies are methodologically limited by their use of closed-ended questionnaires. We strongly believe, as has been also argued by previous studies (e.g., Couper, 2021; Foote et al., 2016), that qualitative data have the potential of providing a more accurate picture of teachers’ cognition and practices around pronunciation teaching.

The Current Study

The current study used a qualitative research method to explore pronunciation teaching in English language classrooms in Saudi Arabia. The study employed semi-structured interviews to develop an in-depth understanding (Adams, 2015) of pronunciation teaching in the Saudi EFL context. The participants of this study were English language teachers in public schools and universities, whose native language was Arabic and who spoke English as a second language. These characteristics reflect the majority of the English language teacher population in Saudi Arabia. Interview questions were crafted from a comprehensive literature review (see Appendix 1) and were provided to participants in advance. These questions served as a guide, encouraging in-depth discussion while allowing participants to elaborate freely. Follow-up questions further enriched the data, surpassing the limitations of closed-ended questionnaires. The interviews were then systematically coded and analyzed (more details of the data collection and analysis are provided below).

Research Objective

The study aims to find answers for the following two questions:

• 1. How do EFL teachers teach pronunciation in Saudi Arabia?

• 2. What beliefs do EFL teachers have about the importance and effectiveness of pronunciation teaching in Saudi Arabia?

Method

Participants

The study implemented a convenience sampling procedure. An email call for participation, including details about the study and the researchers’ contact information, was sent to many potential English language teachers in public schools and higher education institutions. Interested participants were asked to provide demographic information as well as information about their highest qualification, education sector (i.e., general or higher education), years of experience, and professional language teaching certifications (if any). We received initial agreement from 18 teachers in both public schools and universities, of whom only 12 made it to the interview phase. Half of the 12 teachers were teaching English at Saudi public schools and the other half were teaching English in language centers and institutes at Saudi universities. All participants held qualifications in English language-related fields (e.g., linguistics, literature, or education) and their teaching experience ranged from 3 to 26 years. All were native speakers of Arabic and spoke English with varying degrees of detectable foreign accent. The English proficiency levels of their students vary widely, from beginner to advanced. The teachers’ reported class sizes ranged from 25 to 35. Their profiles are presented in Table 1. All participants were given pseudonyms to hide their identities.

Table 1.

Participants’ Profiles.

Name	Gender	Highest degree	Teaching experience	Sector	EFL professional certification
Rawaa	Female	Master’s	7 years	Higher education	Level 7 TESOL Diploma a
Joana	Female	Bachelor’s	7 years	Higher education	- - - - - - - - -
Shouq	Female	Master’s	7 years	Higher education	CELTA b TtT c
Nada	Female	Master’s	7 years	Higher education	TtT c
Malala	Female	Master’s	4 years	Higher education	- - - - - - - - -
Nora	Female	Master’s	6 years	Higher education	TtT c
Ahmad	Male	Master’s	10 years	General education	- - - - - - - - -
Rana	Female	Master’s	3 years	General education	- - - - - - - - -
Amal	Female	Master’s	17 years	General education	- - - - - - - - -
Mazen	Male	Bachelor’s	16 years	General education	- - - - - - - - -
Salman	Male	Master’s	10 years	General education	- - - - - - - - -
Muhannad	Male	Bachelor’s	26 years	General education	- - - - - - - - -

a

Diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

b

Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

c

Qualification for teacher trainers.

Data Collection

The data for this study was collected via semi-structured interviews with all the participants. The authors met each participant individually online via Zoom (a video conferencing platform). Interviews lasted 30 min on average, and were conducted in Arabic to ensure participants would fully understand the discussion and prevent language barriers hindering them from accurately expressing themselves. Guiding questions were sent to the participants in advance (see Appendix 1). The validity or trustworthiness of these guiding questions was assured by five applied linguistics faculty at Saudi universities, who all agreed that they were useful and appropriate with regard to the identified research questions. The interview questions focused on exploring the teachers’ beliefs and current practices with regard to pronunciation teaching in English language classrooms. The interviewees were encouraged to elaborate and express themselves freely when answering the questions, which resulted in follow-up discussion. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and translated.

Data Analysis

To serve the exploratory nature of the study, we ran a thematic analysis on the qualitative data retrieved from the interviews using NVivo (a qualitative data analysis software). Thematic analysis is a method used for “identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns or themes within the data set” (Braun & Clarke, 2006, p. 35). We followed the six steps for conducting thematic analysis suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006, p. 87):

• Familiarization with the data: transcribing and reading the data, writing notes, and developing initial ideas.

• Generation of codes: systematic coding of relevant features across the data, gathering data related to each code. For this step, we used NVivo for better organization and visualization of the data.

• Finding common themes: grouping codes into potential themes.

• Revision of themes: examining and refining the themes and ensuring that all themes are adequately supported by the codes and the data set.

• Definition and labeling of themes: identification of the specifics of each theme, resulting in developing a clear definition and name for each theme.

• Generation of the report: producing a final scholarly report, stating the findings of the analysis, and connecting them with the research questions along with appropriate supporting quotes.

Findings

The interviews were conducted to find answers to how teachers teach pronunciation in their EFL classes, what their beliefs are regarding the importance and effectiveness of pronunciation teaching, and whether they are in need of further training in order to effectively teach pronunciation. The semi-structured interviews started with the question: Do you teach pronunciation in your classroom? All participants stated that they do teach pronunciation in their classrooms. However, teachers varied in their reported practices and experiences. This question was followed by the rest of the guiding questions, which the researchers framed as follow-up questions where the context allowed, or as a shift in topic where necessary. The following common themes were identified through data analysis:

• • The Importance and Effectiveness of Pronunciation Teaching

• • Textbook-based versus Student-focused Teaching

• • Teaching Methods and Strategies

• • Segmental versus Suprasegmental Features

• • Pronunciation Teaching Issues and Challenges

• ○ Contextual and Practical Challenges

• ○ Teacher-related Issues

• ○ Student-related Issues

At this point, it is worth clarifying the difference between the terms “native-like” and “correct pronunciation.” While their meanings can overlap, they do not necessarily mean the same thing. “Native-like” pronunciation refers to speech that does not exhibit any perceptible acoustic differences from native phonetic norms. On the other hand, “correct pronunciation” denotes intelligible speech which may exhibit characteristics of a foreign accent.

The Importance and Effectiveness of Pronunciation Teaching

The majority of teachers believed that teaching pronunciation is important. Ahmad, for instance, said: “yes, it is important. Sometimes students are not aware of how certain sounds are pronounced.” Rawaa added that “teaching pronunciation is important, but more importantly, it should be the result of teachers’ observations of the students’ needs. We don’t need to teach everything even if it is in the textbook.” Nonetheless, because of the limitations and constraints mentioned earlier, teachers believed pronunciation is not a priority in their English classrooms. Rawaa mentioned, for example, “I often neglect pronunciation or only allocate to it a small portion of the class time.” Interestingly, based on his observation, Muhannad explained that “it is not that it is not important; teachers ignore pronunciation because either their pronunciation is weak or because it does not affect their students’ achievement in official exams.” Shouq commented that “teaching pronunciation is not as important as teaching other skills since it only forms a small portion of the speaking assessment.” Rana added “I think correct pronunciation is important, but pronunciation aspects are not worth teaching explicitly and can be a waste of class time.”

As for the teachers’ perception of the effectiveness of their pronunciation teaching, most believed it was effective, while some were less sure. Amal said: “although it is infrequent, students benefit from pronunciation teaching.” Malala mentioned that pronunciation teaching is effective, but “it needs time,” and Nada said “I do not expect instant results.” Some teachers, on the other hand, were less confident about the effectiveness of their pronunciation teaching. Nora, for instance, thought that “it is the students’ actual practice and not the teaching itself that may improve their pronunciation at the end.” Salman added that it is only slightly effective because “it only takes a small part of my class time.” Regardless of their belief in the effectiveness of pronunciation teaching, all teachers emphasized the importance of language practice and extensive listening for pronunciation improvement.

Textbook-Based versus Student-Focused Teaching

One of the major themes that emerged during the data analysis was whether teachers adhered strictly to the pronunciation activities in their textbook or introduced additional activities and methods to address their students’ specific needs. All the interviewees mentioned that they taught English skills in an integrated way and that pronunciation was included in the textbooks they used. Two teachers reported that they only taught pronunciation when it was part of the textbook’s activities. One participant, Amal, mentioned that she did not regularly teach the textbook’s pronunciation activities unless “I feel it is important for the listening section or if I notice my students making a clear pronunciation mistake.”

The majority of teachers mentioned that in addition to the textbook activities, if any, they taught pronunciation to address some of their students’ immediate needs as they emerge, such as correcting mispronounced words and sounds. Rana mentioned that “I mostly follow what is in the textbook, but in many cases the textbook does not offer any pronunciation instruction, so I have to address the points I think my students need to learn.” This approach was also taken by Rawaa who mentioned that “I am mostly guided by the textbook, but if there are some important pronunciation aspects not included in the textbook and I think my students need to learn, I mention them briefly.” It is clear the teachers’ approach to addressing their students’ needs is mostly ad hoc. Joanna said “I teach pronunciation in my classes whenever I feel the need to focus on a certain sound or word. It depends on the situation, so most of the time it is unplanned.”

Many teachers also reported that they integrate pronunciation into their teaching of other language aspects or skills. Most teachers, for example, mentioned teaching pronunciation when introducing new vocabulary. Nora said, “I focus on word pronunciation as part of teaching new vocabulary to my students.” Rawaa reported that “pronunciation on the word level always accompanies vocabulary lessons. Students learn about the word, its meaning, and its pronunciation. Sometimes when the students are excellent, I don’t need to, but most of the time I need to teach the word pronunciation.”

Some teachers also mentioned integrating pronunciation in their teaching of reading and speaking. For instance, Salman stated that “I teach pronunciation during my reading classes when needed,” mostly in response to students’ mistakes or difficulties when reading aloud. Similarly, Joana said that it “depends on my students’ needs, and I never dedicate a lesson to it. I only address pronunciation during speaking and reading activities when needed.” Rawaa also mentioned that “when students make presentations and I notice some mistakes in their pronunciation that affect intelligibility I give feedback. I also comment on their intonation if I notice they talk in a robotic way.” It is clear that the majority of teachers integrate pronunciation into their teaching of other language skills in an unplanned way and deploy it only as a response to students’ mispronunciation. Only one teacher, Joana, mentioned basing her teaching on an actual analysis of her students’ needs. She said “I ask my students to record themselves while speaking, and then listen to their recordings to know their pronunciation mistakes. I also listen to their recordings to identify the aspects I need to focus on.”

In responding to students’ needs, teachers primarily focused on the intelligibility of students’ communication. For example, Amal stressed that “intelligibility is key.” Teachers mainly focused on students’ ability to communicate clearly in order to make a decision on what needs to be taught, as Rawaa highlighted that “if I can understand them, and their pronunciation errors don’t change the meaning, it is okay.” Although the teachers relied on the audio materials of native speakers in pronunciation activities, they mentioned that they did not aim for native-like pronunciation. For example, Malala said “I don’t focus on native-likeness; intelligibility is my focus.”

Teaching Methods and Strategies

Although all teachers reported that they teach pronunciation, their understanding of what it means to teach pronunciation varied, which was reflected in the methods they used. Most teachers used the intuitive-imitative approach, where students listen to an accurate pronunciation produced by the teacher or a native model and are asked to repeat it. A few teachers, though, mentioned that they occasionally used the analytic-linguistic approach, where they explicitly explain how the target sound is articulated.

Most teachers used “listen and repeat” activities to teach pronunciation; few used “tongue twisters” and listening discrimination activities. Drilling was used by most teachers as a way for students to practice pronunciation. Amal said: “I mostly use audio recordings of native speakers for students to listen and practice pronunciation. I also post videos on the e-learning platform.” Salman said: “I usually use an audio recording and repeat it several times. Ask students to follow the transcript and practice their pronunciation.” Malala was one of the few teachers who mentioned using tongue twisters to help students with articulation. She said:

There is a sentence that I write on the board that is kept throughout the semester that students need to read every day. This sentence contains all the English sounds, and they need to repeat it a lot. This practice enables them to practice and perfect their production of English sounds. I learned it when I was studying in the US during my MA.

A number of teachers also mentioned the use of extensive listening as one way to improve their students’ pronunciation. Malala mentioned: “I believe extensive listening is important for students to learn pronunciation.” Although not aiming for native-like pronunciation, the teachers used audio recordings of native speakers to help students acquire good pronunciation, as pointed out by Muhannad: “I use audio recordings of native speakers in listening activities to raise my students’ awareness of pronunciation.” Rana mentioned: “The most important thing is for students to be understandable, and this comes from extensive listening and practice.” This reflects not only which practice she uses but also her belief about how pronunciation should be taught.

Only four teachers used some sort of explicit linguistic instruction to teach pronunciation, usually in cases where listening alone was insufficient. For example, Joana said: “very rarely, I use rules to show individual sounds in different environments, and how sh, ch, and ph are pronounced.” Another teacher also mentioned the use of basic articulatory phonetics, such as place of articulation and voicing information, to teach students how to pronounce certain challenging sounds.

Corrective feedback was also mentioned by many teachers as a common strategy they use to draw their students’ attention to pronunciation mistakes. Some teachers also encouraged peer correction; for example, Malala mentioned that she “drew students’ attention when they make an obvious pronunciation mistake and ask their colleagues to correct their pronunciation.” Some teachers highlighted that not all errors need to be addressed, for instance if they do not affect intelligibility. Rana, for instance, said: “some mistakes are insignificant, but some are significant and negatively impact communication. I wait till they finish, and I repeat it correctly.”

Overall, teachers mainly used intuitive-imitative methods, as opposed to giving explicit phonetic instruction, to teach pronunciation, with “listen and repeat” dominating their practice. In addition, they would correct their students’ pronunciation whenever they believed they made a mistake that could change the meaning or render their production unintelligible.

Segmental Versus Suprasegmental Features

Regarding the pronunciation features teachers prioritize, most teachers addressed segmental features more frequently than suprasegmental features regardless of students’ levels. Notably, the teachers who mentioned teaching suprasegmentals, such as intonation and connected speech processes, taught them because they were part of the textbook activities. Mazen said: “for higher levels, the textbook I use moves to other aspects like connected speech and intonation.” Amal also said: “I teach secondary school students. So, in the textbook we use, most pronunciation activities focus on intonation and connected speech.”

Many teachers believed that teaching individual sounds should be prioritized over teaching suprasegmental features regardless of students’ levels. Nora explained that “it depends on students’ needs – most of the time individual sounds.” Individual sounds, digraphs, and particularly challenging sounds to Arab learners, such as /p/ and /v/, received the most attention from the teachers in their pronunciation teaching. Nada said that she usually focuses “on /p/-/b/ and /v/-/f/ pair sounds, as students often confuse the sounds in each pair.” On the other hand, a few teachers believed that vowels were more important and difficult for their students and needed addressing. Muhannad mentioned: “I focus mostly on individual sounds, and mostly vowels.” Amal also noted that “students usually face difficulty in producing vowels.”

Pronunciation Teaching Issues and Challenges

Contextual and Curricular Challenges

The interviewees mentioned some contextual and curricular factors that negatively affect their pronunciation instruction. All of them mentioned issues of class size and differences in proficiency among their students. In both public schools and universities, the number of students in language classes appeared to be a major obstacle for effective pronunciation teaching. The issues presented by class sizes are exacerbated by the variance in proficiency between students in language classes. For instance, Malala said that “it is difficult to focus on the pronunciation of weaker students in large classes.” The teachers reported that it was extremely difficult to give students enough time and attention, especially when it came to pronunciation needs.

The teachers also reported curriculum-related factors that limit the effectiveness of pronunciation teaching. The majority of teachers reported the issue of time constraints, especially since textbooks are packed with other skills that need teaching in a very limited time. They had to prioritize reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar over pronunciation. The teachers attributed this to the fact that pronunciation has minimal or no weighting in their students’ assessment. In addition, some teachers mentioned that their textbooks do not provide enough materials to teach pronunciation. Salman, for example, said: “the number of activities for pronunciation teaching is low; only four activities in the textbook per semester.” Ahmad also commented: “the fact that it is not emphasized in the textbook may cause teachers to lose their knowledge and skills in teaching pronunciation.”

Teacher-Related Issues

All teachers, irrespective of their academic qualifications, expressed the need for more training in order to be able to teach pronunciation more effectively. They felt that there was room for improvement in three key areas: their pedagogical skills, their phonetic knowledge base, and their own competence in pronunciation. Of these, the teachers identified pedagogy as the area in which they required the most support. The teachers’ overreliance on “listen and repeat” activities might indicate that they are in need of further training on pronunciation teaching strategies. On the other hand, Mazen commented: “I need training in phonetics and English pronunciation.” We observed that almost half of the teachers did not have knowledge of key phonetic terms, regardless of their degrees. Regarding teachers’ lack of basic phonetic knowledge, Amal, for example, explained: “we did not study much phonetics, and this is why I usually need to revise my phonetic and pronunciation knowledge before each pronunciation lesson.” Nada also mentioned that her phonetic knowledge base “is weak.” Some teachers also lacked confidence in their own pronunciation. Nada, for instance, said: “I think, for me, teaching consonants is easier than teaching vowels. It is more difficult for me to model vowels.” Amal felt that “teachers’ pronunciation sometimes needs improvement, but we compensate by using audio recordings by native speakers. I remember that one of my students pointed out a pronunciation mistake I made.”

Assessing students’ pronunciation is a real challenge for teachers. Many teachers reported that they usually assess pronunciation as part of overall speaking skills. However, their assessment of pronunciation was limited to individual sounds and their overall effect on their students’ intelligibility. Interestingly, Joana noted that “assessing students’ pronunciation is problematic, as we are faced with a large number of mistakes. I am not sure how to judge intelligibility; what is intelligible to me may not be intelligible to native speakers.”

Some teachers felt that there were not enough training opportunities available related to pronunciation. Muhannad commented that “teachers need more focused training programs to provide them with the confidence they need to teach pronunciation. I don’t think there is enough focus on training related to pronunciation.” The issue of contextualized training was also mentioned. While phonetic knowledge does not need to be contextualized, the practical aspect of teaching pronunciation must meet the challenges and needs of students in the Saudi context. Salman mentioned that the training provided by the Ministry of Education for general education teachers should meet contextual needs and that sometimes it seemed “unrealistic.” Shouq highlighted the need to keep up with emerging technologies that can be used in pronunciation teaching. She said: “in addition to phonetic knowledge and pronunciation teaching strategies, it may also be good to learn how to use certain technological applications to help students improve their pronunciation.”

Student-Related Issues

Pronunciation instruction relies heavily on practice, but teachers noted some challenges with students’ willingness to practice. Teachers mentioned two potential contributing factors to their students’ unwillingness to practice. One was related to students’ shyness, since they need to practice in front of their colleagues. The other was related to the dominance of the exam-oriented culture, which makes students less willing to put effort into a skill that has at most a slight impact on their final grade. Students’ minimal exposure to English was also mentioned during the interviews. Joana mentioned that “lack of exposure to English is an issue, as students need to listen to native input to be able to pick up accurate pronunciation.” Difficulty of pronunciation was mentioned by a few teachers as well. Ahmad said that “it overwhelms students at times.” Joana mentioned that “her students have high expectations and want to sound native-like, and this leads to their frustration.”

Discussion

The current study explored the beliefs and practices of English teachers regarding pronunciation teaching in Saudi Arabia. Twelve Saudi nonnative English teachers were interviewed individually to gain insight into how they teach pronunciation and their beliefs about the importance and effectiveness of pronunciation instruction. A qualitative analysis of the interviews was conducted, the data was coded, and themes were identified.

All the interviewees acknowledged the use of textbooks, which include pronunciation activities, as part of an integrated approach to teaching English language skills. The majority of the teachers mentioned that they teach the pronunciation activities included in the textbooks. Many of the teachers also mentioned that they addressed their students’ needs as they emerged, for example correcting their students’ pronunciation mistakes. This finding is in line with the results of previous research conducted in the same context (Alsofyani & Algethami, 2017; Altoeriqi, 2020). Teachers prioritized other language skills over pronunciation with a few even completely skipping the pronunciation activities included in the textbooks. They cited lack of time, class sizes, and the focus of exams among their main reasons. Others suggested that students could indirectly improve their pronunciation through listening without the need to provide explicit teaching of pronunciation. It is interesting to note that these findings resemble those of previous studies conducted in other EFL contexts (Bai & Yuan, 2019; Buss, 2016; Georgiou, 2019; T. Nguyen & Newton, 2020).

The teachers seemed to rely mainly on the intuitive-imitative approach to teaching pronunciation and avoid explicit teaching of pronunciation using linguistic/phonetic instruction. In addition to their lack of basic phonetic knowledge, which was obvious during the interviews, their reliance on “listen and repeat” activities indicated their need for further training, which they acknowledged during the interviews. Three areas of professional development were mentioned: phonetic knowledge, English pronunciation, and teaching strategies. In particular, there was agreement among teachers on the need for further training in pronunciation pedagogy. There was also a clear need for further training in basic phonetic knowledge, as indicated by the teachers’ avoidance of phonetic instruction in their classes. The call for teacher training was a major conclusion in all previous studies conducted in other EFL contexts (Bai & Yuan, 2019; Buss, 2016; Georgiou, 2019; Henderson et al., 2015; T. Nguyen & Newton, 2020). A small number of teachers also doubted their ability to teach and assess pronunciation, mentioning difficulties they face in modeling sounds for their students and assessing their students’ intelligibility. A similar finding was reported by Bai and Yuan (2019).

Unless included in the textbook, most teachers did not teach suprasegmental pronunciation features, focusing instead on individual sounds. This is another indication of their lack of phonetic training, as teaching suprasegmental features requires knowledge of a slightly more complex nature, such as stress, rhythm, and intonation. Research has shown that mispronunciation at the suprasegmental level can be detrimental to communication (e.g., Anderson-Hsieh et al., 1992), though both segmental and suprasegmental levels contribute to intelligibility. The evident neglect of teaching of suprasegmental features poses a significant challenge to English language teaching in the Saudi EFL context. A similar finding was reached by Buss (2016) for the Brazilian EFL Context.

All teachers recognized the importance of pronunciation; however, they believed that it should not be prioritized over other language skills. Their opinions regarding the effectiveness of pronunciation teaching varied. While some believed it was beneficial to students, others doubted its effectiveness and mentioned that it could be acquired by extensive exposure to the language. The teachers’ beliefs might have contributed to the marginalization of pronunciation in their classrooms; however, other factors such as lack of training, class size, and time constraints likely played a significant role.

The present study highlights significant insights related to the theoretical discourse surrounding pronunciation instruction. The teacher-participants in this research assert that intelligibility should be the primary objective in teaching pronunciation. This perspective aligns with the Intelligibility Principle (Levis, 2022), which posits that prioritizing intelligibility over native-like pronunciation is essential, particularly given the practical challenges associated with achieving a native accent. Nonetheless, the participants also emphasized the importance of exposing learners to native speaker input, acknowledging their own uncertainties regarding their pronunciation accuracy. A similar finding was also reported by Sifakis and Sougari (2005). This duality highlights a fundamental dilemma faced by English language teachers when determining the appropriate pronunciation model to adopt, particularly if their aim is solely to enhance students’ intelligibility and communicative competence. Murphy (2014) advocates for the inclusion of samples of comprehensible nonnative speech in EFL/ESL classes. Such an approach not only promotes student engagement but also alleviates anxiety surrounding accent. Moreover, the findings indicate that the participating teachers appeared to lack strategies for effectively integrating pronunciation practice within a communicative language teaching framework—an approach that has been demonstrated to be effective in pronunciation instruction (Pennington, 2021). This underscores a notable gap in pedagogical training pertaining to communicative strategies for teaching pronunciation among these teachers.

Conclusion

Despite previous research findings about the effectiveness of pronunciation teaching and teachers’ belief in the importance of pronunciation, the current study shows that pronunciation is marginalized in EFL classrooms in Saudi Arabia. Contextual factors were found to play a role in the sidelining of pronunciation inside classrooms; namely, class size and time constraints, teachers’ lack of training and confidence, and the focus of exams on other language skills. Some teachers also suggested that the textbooks they use do not adequately address their students’ actual pronunciation needs. To bridge the gap between research and practice in pronunciation teaching, teachers’ professional development programs and pre-service training should address teachers’ needs in order to enable them teaching pronunciation effectively. The contribution of this research to unraveling teachers’ practices inside EFL classrooms in Saudi Arabia is limited by its reliance on self-reported observations gathered through interviews; further research could implement classroom observation methods to substantiate teachers’ reported practices.