Native-like pronunciation in EFL: conceptions of pre-service teachers trained in mainland China compared with those in English-speaking countries

This study examined pre-service EFL teachers’ beliefs about native-like pronunciation by comparing those educated exclusively in mainland China with those who had educational experience in English-speaking countries. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 66 pre-service teachers completed the questionnaire, and six participants were selected for follow-up interviews. The quantitative results showed consistent differences between the two groups. Pre-service teachers with overseas educational experience tended to prioritize fluency and communicative effectiveness over native-like pronunciation in authentic communication, whereas those educated exclusively in mainland China were more likely to emphasize native-like pronunciation and view it as an important criterion of teacher professionalism. The qualitative findings further indicated that multiple factors, including prior educational experiences, career aspirations, and sociocultural environments, shaped these divergent beliefs. This study offers contributions in three dimensions. First, the findings are broadly consistent with theoretical perspectives in second language acquisition and language teaching, such as the Input Hypothesis and Communicative Language Teaching, by showing that pre-service teachers’ beliefs about pronunciation may be related to their educational experiences. Besides, the results suggest that teacher education programs may benefit from greater attention to pronunciation-related ideologies and from encouraging more balanced and context-sensitive approaches to pronunciation instruction. Finally, by situating pronunciation beliefs within broader sociocultural and educational contexts, the study contributes to ongoing cross-cultural discussions of pronunciation norms and pedagogical practices in global English education.