EFL Pronunciation and Spelling Competence at the Crossroads in the AI-Era Education

Pronunciation and spelling are undervalued and dissociated skills in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education. While the discrepancy between English spelling and pronunciation hinders the improvement of EFL learners'speaking proficiency, limited attention has been granted to the cognitive connection between these two skills in EFL pedagogy and academic research. Misrepresenting spelling and pronunciation among EFL learners indicates a deep learning difficulty that requires serious attention and innovative pedagogic interventions. The present study explores Arabic-speaking EFL learners' perceptions about the dichotomy between pronunciation and spelling in EFL education and their awareness about the impact of this morpho-phonemic association on improving their pronunciation skills for more accuracy, intelligibility, and fluency. The study investigates EFL learners’ perceived experiences in spelling and pronunciation, and the role teachers and technological resources can play in improving their pronunciation and spelling concurrently. The study adopts a qualitative method approach for data collection using a cross-sectional survey. The subjects comprise 147 EFL students from an Omani university. The data were analysed quantitatively with descriptive statistics. The study’s outcomes focused on an exploration of learners' awareness, perceptions, and learning patterns and an investigative analysis of relevant instructors' approaches and practices while providing a normative description of effective pedagogic strategies.