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Kochem (2021) TESOL Quarterly Exploring The Connection Between Teacher Training and Teacher Cognitions Related To L2
Kochem (2021) TESOL Quarterly Exploring The Connection Between Teacher Training and Teacher Cognitions Related To L2
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Exploring the Connection between
Teacher Training and Teacher Cognitions
Related to L2 Pronunciation Instruction
TIM KOCHEM
Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa, United States
Abstract
In recent years, research into the learning of pronunciation pedagogy
and its effects on a teacher’s capacity to provide effective pronuncia-
tion instruction has been steadily growing. Nevertheless, a prominent
puzzle piece still remains uncovered: the direct effect that coursework
has on a trainee’s ability to deliver effective instruction. To address this
gap, the current study explores the development of second language
teacher cognitions and actual teaching practices in a tutoring project,
which serves as the capstone assignment for a graduate course in pro-
nunciation pedagogy. Semi-structured interviews, stimulated recalls,
written reflections, and tutoring observations were used to explore the
intricate connection between training and practices. Findings suggest
that controlled activities made up the majority of the trainees’ tech-
niques. Trainees requested more in-class practice with creating and
conducting free activities, as these were viewed as the toughest tech-
nique. Also, this study found one predominant connection which the
tutoring project brought to light: the trainees’ use of the communicative
framework (Celce-Murcia, Brinton, Goodwin, & Griner, 2010) as an
‘order of operations’. These results highlight the importance of training
in pronunciation pedagogy which includes a hands-on experience.
doi: 10.1002/tesq.3095
INTRODUCTION
Current Study
Using a qualitative case study design (Creswell, 2013), the develop-
ment of SLTC in a graduate pronunciation pedagogy course was inves-
tigated, with particular attention paid to the role played by teaching
practices during a four-week tutoring project. By using this setting, cur-
riculum factors could be mitigated so that the ability to teach pronun-
ciation was highlighted. That is, the student teachers were not
providing grades to the students, teaching to a test, or other such
influences that teachers may face in a formal classroom environment.
Also, by using one-on-one tutoring, the participants are the focal point
of the instruction, meaning they cannot ‘hide’ from their student—
they are the input, the instructor, and the interlocutor.
This study is of relevance to both teacher educators and student
teachers of L2 pronunciation pedagogy. First, it provides further evi-
dence to Baker’s (2014) findings of the techniques used in actual pro-
nunciation instruction using classroom-based research. Second, it
identifies common challenges faced by trainees who are teaching L2
pronunciation explicitly for the first time and additional benefits from
having a hands-on experience. The findings also affirm the call for
more specialized training in L2 pronunciation pedagogy in language
teacher preparation programs (e.g., Murphy, 2014). This study
addresses the following questions:
1. What cognitions do student teachers have about techniques for
teaching English pronunciation in a tutoring setting?
2. What relationships, if any, exist between the trainees’ cogni-
tions, professional development, and teaching practices?
Participants
Setting
TABLE 1
Demographic Information
Data Analysis
First, data collected from the oral reports were transcribed verbatim.
All of the data, including video recordings of the tutoring sessions,
were then entered into NVivo 12 (QSR International Pty Ltd, 2020)
for coding purposes. First, as in Baker (2011, 2014), the tutoring
videos were segmented into individual activities, allowing for the cod-
ing of activity types. Next, the oral reports were segmented into their
two constituents (i.e., SSI and SRI). This was done as soon as it
became apparent that the data types provided different views about
their teaching practices. Finally, the written reflections were added.
FINDINGS
Week 4 used them for the entire session—no other activities were
reported.
Three groups emerged when analyzing the student teachers’ activity
use: (1) those who incorporated all activity types in every session; (2)
those who gradually built communicative activities into the sessions;
and (3) those who never progressed into communicative activities.
This first group included only two student teachers: Chloe and Jacob.
They used the four communicative activities listed in week 1—each
using one discussion and one game.
Note: The first number represents how many times an activity type was used in a particular
week. The number in parentheses represents how many participants used the activity type in
a particular week.
Both Chloe and Jacob took a similar approach to the tutoring pro-
ject, in that they viewed it as an opportunity to learn how to deliver
pronunciation instruction. As such, they included activities from all
five phases of the communicative framework into each session. Still,
they faced individual hurdles with implementing communicative activi-
ties, particularly in time management and assessing their learner’s pro-
nunciation. Many of the student teachers mentioned time
management as a hurdle; however, when faced with issues of time,
Chloe and Jacob decided to stick with their lesson plan and get as far
as they could, which resulted in some activities being cut towards the
end of the session.
The second group included those student teachers who gradually
built communicative activities into the sessions, and this group con-
sisted of Eve, Mia, and Sofia. All three members of this group men-
tioned an intention to use communicative activities in the earlier
weeks, but either time management forced them to delay some activi-
ties to later weeks, or they wanted to spend the first week conducting
more controlled activities. Unlike Chloe and Jacob, this group decided
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
THE AUTHOR
REFERENCES
Almarode, J., & Vandas, K. (2018). Clarity for learning: Five essential practices that
empower students and teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Baker, A. (2011). Pronunciation pedagogy: Second language teacher cognition and prac-
tice. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Georgia State University, GA.
Baker, A. (2014). Exploring teachers’ knowledge of L2 pronunciation techniques:
Teacher cognitions, observed classroom practices and student perceptions.
TESOL Quarterly, 48(1), 136–163.