ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION IN EGYPTIAN EFL CLASSROOMS: ATTITUDES, CHALLENGES, AND EXPECTATIONS

This paper is an effort to explore issues pertaining to pronunciation instruction in Egypt, from the perspective of Egyptian EFL learners and teachers, with an emphasis placed on: views on pronunciation performances, expectations from their lecturers/students and study programmes, challenges faced in learning/teaching English pronunciation, desired proficiency standards and attitudes towards English and the specific items taught, the influence of mother tongue, as well as views on what participants would like to see applied in textbooks and classrooms (e.g. organised activities, behaviour, approaches, methods, etc.). Recommendations based on questionnaire responses by both learners and teachers can be summarised as follows: (i) ensuring the qualifiedness of teachers, lecturers and educators in general (e.g. by seeking a TEFL-related qualification alongside a relevant university degree as position requirements), (ii) teaching English in English for more exposure to the target language content, (iii) minimising teacher-centered classroom performance and allocating most of the class time for student participation and involvement, (iv) directing efforts towards creating an engaging and motivating environment for both teachers and learners by refraining from employing traditional outdated teaching methods that may lead to eliminating chances of effective communicative interaction, (v) applying assessment methods that prioritise development over scores to enhance students’ creativity and critical thinking skills, (vi) integrating the element of pronunciation in the teaching of other language skills, (vii) ensuring the cultural appropriacy and appeal of the study materials to meet the expectations of learners, address the actual teaching/learning objectives and suit the particular EFL context in question.