Between Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Confidence: A Case Study of Pronunciation Training and Teacher Preparation

Autores

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5007/2175-8026.2024.e99365

Palavras-chave:

Pronunciation teaching/pedagogy, teacher preparation, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Content Knowledge

Resumo

While many teachers do not feel confident teaching pronunciation because of limited preparation in different areas, research has demonstrated positive effects of training in pronunciation pedagogy, as teachers who receive such training develop cognitions (i.e., knowledge, beliefs, thoughts, actions) that align with current tenets of pronunciation pedagogy. Drawing on this assertion, this paper reports the results of a qualitative case study with five pre-service teaching-English-to-speakers-of-other-languages (TESOL) teachers enrolled in a pedagogical pronunciation course as part of their teacher training program. The study's main purpose was to understand the role of training in developing content knowledge (CK) and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for pronunciation teaching, and how such knowledge provided confidence in pre-service teachers to address the pronunciation needs of their future students. Using four different data collection methods (reflective journals, semi-structured individual interviews, stimulated-recall individual interviews, and a focus group interview), the analysis revealed contradictions in the pre-service teachers’ confidence in their CK of pronunciation teaching. While the participants perceived CK as an essential foundational subject matter asset necessary to develop PCK based on theoretically supported teaching techniques, they also presented a lack of confidence in their knowledge of specific segments (e.g., vowels), intonation, and specific types of connected speech like linking. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for teacher training in pronunciation that could boost pre-service teachers’ confidence in their knowledge of pronunciation teaching.

Keywords: Pronunciation Pedagogy, Teacher Preparation, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Content Knowledge

Biografia do Autor

Lena Barrantes-Elizondo, Universidad Nacional

Lena Barrantes-Elizondo is a full professor at Universidad Nacional, Sede Regional Brunca. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Research from the University of Calgary. She started her career with a BA in EFL education, followed by a licentiate’s degree in Applied Linguistics with emphasis on English as a Foreign Language, a master’s degree in Second Languages and Culture, and a master’s degree in
Educational Leadership from Universidad Nacional. She has worked as a pre-service and in-service EFL teacher trainer. Her current research and interests focus on the professional agency and identity of EFL instructors, EFL teaching and learning, and female leadership. Her research works have been published in academic journals in Canada, Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Costa Rica, and Peru. She has also shared her work at national and international conferences in the United States, Canada, Spain, and England.

 

Joshua Gordon, University of Northern Iowa

Associate Professor of TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the University of Northern Iowa. He received his Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from Indiana University, Bloomington. He has taught ESL, EFL, and Spanish as a foreign language. He has trained pre-service and in-service teachers in the United States and in Costa Rica. His research interests include second-language pronunciation teaching and learning, second-language teacher cognition, and non-native-speaking teachers of English. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and different edited volumes. He was the 2022-2023 chair of the Speech, Pronunciation, and Listening Interest Section of TESOL International. He is the Reviews Editor for the Journal of Second Language Pronunciation. 

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Publicado

2024-11-08

Edição

v. 77 (2024)

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Dossiê em Estudos Linguísticos

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Copyright (c) 2023 Lena Barrantes-Elizondo, Joshua Gordon

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.