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Part of
English Pronunciation Instruction: Research-based insights
Edited by Anastazija Kirkova-Naskova, Alice Henderson and Jonás Fouz-González
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 19] 2021
► pp. 63–90

Chapter 4
Teaching English pronunciation in Croatian elementary schools

Views and practices

| Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
| Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek

This chapter explores learners’ and teachers’ attitudes towards English pronunciation in elementary schools in Croatia, as well as the relationship between pre-service education and pronunciation teaching methods and techniques. The participants included 152 learners and 31 teachers. The results show that teachers feel inadequately trained, and that both teachers and learners have positive attitudes towards pronunciation and believe that language exposure greatly contributes to improving pronunciation. Classroom practices include teaching word and sentence stress, use of listen-and-repeat activities and teacher-led corrective feedback. Some learners are motivated to improve their pronunciation, while others wish to express their Croatian identity. We consider the pedagogical implications of these findings and propose recommendations that can make pronunciation teaching more effective in this context.

Keywords: teaching, learners, ELF, elementary school, pronunciation activities, teaching methods, attitudes, Croatia
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Teaching pronunciation
  • The research study
    • Aim and research questions
    • Participants
    • Instrument
    • Procedure
  • Results and analysis
    • Attitudes to pronunciation
    • Teacher training
    • Textbook materials
    • Teaching practices and addressing pronunciation difficulties
  • Discussion of results and key findings
  • Pedagogical implications
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
  • Appendix
Published online: 13 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.19.04van
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