Faculty of Education

Department of English Language and Literature

English Pronunciation Teaching at Lower Secondary

Schools

Bachelor’s Thesis

Brno 2021

Supervisor: Author:

Mgr. Irena Headlandová Kalischová, Ph.D. Bc. Kateřina Jezdinská

Declaration

I hereby declare that I have worked on this thesis independently and the
information used in the thesis has been acknowledged in the text and included in the
list of references.”

„Prohlašuji, že jsem závěrečnou práci vypracovala samostatně, s využitím pouze

citovaných pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem
pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000
Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně
některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů."

.......................................................

Bc. Kateřina Jezdinská

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to my supervisor Mgr. Irena Headlandová

Kalischová, Ph.D. for her inspiring approach, valuable guidance, and useful advice
during the process of writing.
Annotation

The Bachelor thesis deals with using various methods of English

pronunciation teaching at lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic. Generally,
pronunciation is often a neglected skill when teaching English at schools. This thesis
aims to define what methods are used to teach individual aspects of the pronunciation
and confirm their effectiveness.

The thesis is divided into two parts – a theoretical and a practical section. The
theoretical part contains a characterization of the most used and proven
pronunciation teaching methods. It highlights the importance of teaching
pronunciation in the process of learning English as a second language. The practical
part is represented by the research conducted on a lower secondary school that
analyzes particular pronunciation teaching methods. These results will be compared
with the results from the ongoing questionnaire for English teachers targeted on their
pronunciation teaching methods.

Key Words

Pronunciation, English Teaching, Teaching Methods, Lower Secondary, COVID-19,

Distance Learning, Online Education
Anotace

Bakalářská práce pojednává o různých metodách výuky výslovnosti

anglického jazyka na druhém stupni základních škol v České republice. Výslovnost
obecně patří k zanedbávaným dovednostem při výuce angličtiny na školách. Tato
práce je zaměřená na vymezení metod, které se využívají k výuce jednotlivých
aspektů výslovnosti, a zároveň zhodnotí jejich účinnost.

Práce je rozdělena do dvou celků na teoretickou praktickou část. Teoretická

část obsahuje výčet osvědčených a nejběžněji používaných metod pro výuku
výslovnosti. Podtrhuje důležitost výuky výslovnosti v procesu učení se angličtiny
jako druhého jazyka. Praktická část se zabývá výzkumem prováděným na základní
škole, který analyzuje konkrétní metody výuky výslovnosti. Tyto výsledky budou
porovnány s výsledky souběžného dotazníku pro učitele anglického jazyka,
zaměřeného na jejich používané metody výuky výslovnosti.

Klíčová slova

Výslovnost, výuka anglického jazyka, výukové metody, druhý stupeň, COVID-19,

distanční vzdělávání, výuka online
Table of Contents
Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 7
THEORETICAL PART ........................................................................................................... 9
1 The Sound system of English................................................................................................ 9
1.1 Vowels ......................................................................................................................... 10
1.2 Consonants ................................................................................................................... 12
1.3 Word Stress .................................................................................................................. 14
1.4 Weak Forms ................................................................................................................. 16
1.5 Intonation ..................................................................................................................... 16
2 Teaching pronunciation ...................................................................................................... 18
PRACTICAL PART .............................................................................................................. 23
3 Introduction to Research ..................................................................................................... 23
4 Research Methodology ....................................................................................................... 25
5 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 28
5.1 Pronunciation Teaching Analysis ................................................................................ 28
5.2 Questionnaire analysis ................................................................................................. 37
6 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 51
List of References .................................................................................................................. 53
Appendices............................................................................................................................. 55
Introduction

English is considered to be a lingua franca, a global language to use for

communication purpose. With the worldwide technological progress and the world
entering the information era, a need for establishing a common tool of
communication emerged. Today, English is used globally within the majority of
branches in economic sectors. Moreover, English is also the most spoken language in
the world if non-native speakers are included.

The number of English learners as a second language has been rising, and it is
expected to grow even more. The global characteristics of today’s world connect
people privately or on a business level. People acknowledge the need for learning
foreign languages. It is expected that knowledge of foreign language, and especially
English, would be beneficial for acquiring better job opportunities. A better
employment is ultimately related to better quality of life. From all above mentioned
reasons, a huge demand for teaching English has been noticed.

The dominance of Russian language teaching at the Czech schools was

cancelled out in 1989. This turning point meant implementing English language
teaching into the Czech school programs. The Czech system of teaching English has
been undergoing many improvements, yet the situation is still not ideal everywhere.

Pronunciation of any language determines the success of using the language.

Of course, learning a foreign language is indisputably a highly complex process,
requiring studying all language systems and skills. Yet, neglecting pronunciation is
largely to blame for students’ lack of ability to speak and effectively communicate.
Jenkins (2000) summarizes that especially pronunciation errors cause most of the
communication problems. It is not surprising that even after many years of
compulsory learning English at primary and lower secondary schools, many students
struggle with English productive and receptive skills. “Pronunciation deserves
neither fate, either to be unfairly elevated to the central skill in language learning or
banished to irrelevance” (Levis, 2005, p. 369).

7
 Students alone usually label pronunciation as one of the most difficult skills
to learn. Gilakjani (2011) comments on it that “the difficulty of learning to
pronounce a foreign language is cognitive rather than physical, and that it has
something to do with the way ‘raw sound’ is categorized or conceptualized in using
speech” (p. 74). The Czech students struggle with several pronunciation issues,
namely English phonemes non-existent in the mother tongue, different word stress,
and even intonation. Many English language teachers find teaching pronunciation of
low priority and low importance. Especially when the need for teaching
pronunciation is not properly established in curriculum or syllable design. Some of
the teachers may also feel not qualified enough to teach it properly (qtd. in
Henrischen et al., 2019, p. 3).

I have drawn inspiration for my thesis from my personal experience as a

beginner teacher of English at a lower secondary school after spending several years
in Scotland. I have come to the realization that pronunciation teaching should
provide a base for English teaching. As such, it requires a regular frame and a level
of raised attractiveness added to the methods or activities in order to be an effective
pronunciation teaching.

The aim of this thesis is firstly to demonstrate the importance and possibilities
of pronunciation teaching when teaching English as a second language at lower
secondary schools. Secondly, the thesis will map the pronunciation teaching
approaches throughout the lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic.

The thesis consists of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part
discusses the reference literature and explains aspects of pronunciation that are
generally taught at lower secondary schools. It also summarizes the nature of
pronunciation teaching with its methods and some basic characteristics of teaching
adolescents. The practical part presents the research conducted at school, informs
about the methodology and the participants. Additionally, ongoing questionnaire
results are examined and analyzed. This questionnaire was used to address lower
secondary teachers to find out about how is pronunciation taking place in their
English teaching. The findings are then discussed after presenting the results and
conclusions stated in the end.

8
THEORETICAL PART

1 The Sound system of English

According to the dictionary1, pronunciation “is the act or result of producing

the sounds of speech, including articulation, stress, and intonation, often with
reference to some standard of correctness or acceptability.” Whereas suprasegmental
features (such as stress, rhythm and intonation, see Figure 1) are more likely to be
learnt by listening and imitating, segmental features (consonants and vowels) need an
adequate approach and a deeper explanation.

Figure 1
Features of Pronunciation (Kelly, 2000)

In order to speak, one must produce the sound. The sound is made by
modifying an airstream going from the lungs through the vocal tract leading out of
one’s mouth or nostrils. The speech tract consists of the organs shown in Figure 2
and there are several points there where muscles can modify the airstream. These are
called articulators and the main ones are the larynx, the soft palate, the tongue, the
lower jaw, and the lips. As for the pharynx and nasal cavity, one can control the
amount of air passing by (Smakman, 2020).

1
Dictionary.com[online]

9
Figure 2
Organs of Speech (Carr, 2013)

1.1 Vowels

We distinguish two main groups of sounds: vowels and consonants. Kelly

defines vowels as sounds that are produced when the airstream is voiced through the
vibration of the vocal cords in the larynx, and then shaped using the tongue and the
lips to modify the overall shape of the mouth (Kelly, 2000).

Vowels can be categorized according to several criteria. They are divided by

length as short [æ], [e], [ɪ], [ɒ], [ʊ], [ʌ] or long [iː], [зː], [ɑː], [ɔː], [uː]. Usually, the
sound schwa [ə] belongs among the short vowels as well. Another category divides
vowels into monophthongs, diphthongs, and triphthongs. Monophthongs are vowels
consisting only of one vowel. In figure 3 is described the distribution of vowels
based on a position of the tongue. The vowel is called close if the tongue occurs
close to the roof of the mouth: [iː], [ɪ], [uː], [ʊ]. On the opposite, the vowel is called
open, if there is a greater distance between the tongue and the roof of the mouth:

10
vowels [æ], [ʌ], [ɑː], [ɒ]. Similarly, vowels are called front, if the tip of the tongue is
the highest part of the tongue in the mouth when producing the vowel [iː], [ɪ] ], [e],
[æ]. If it is the back of the tongue that is the highest part, then we talk about back
vowels [uː], [ʊ], [ɔː], [ɒ].

Figure 3
Vowel space in the mouth (Kelly 2000)

Diphthongs are realized by two single vowels. Typically, their pronunciation

starts with the first prominent vowel and ends with another. The English language
recognizes a total number of eight diphthongs divided according to the second vowel
the diphthong is glided to:

Figure 4
Distribution of the diphthongs in English
DIPHTHONG

centring closing

ending in ə ending in ɪ ending in ʊ

ɪə eə ʊə eɪ aɪ ɔɪ əʊ aʊ

11
Table 1
Distribution of the diphthongs with examples

Diphthong Example Diphthong Example Diphthong Example

ɪə beard eɪ make əʊ home
eə wear aɪ write aʊ house
ʊə tour ɔɪ voice

Triphthongs are the most complex English vowels, described by Roach

(1991) as “a glide from one vowel to another and then to a third, all produced rapidly
and without interruption” (p. 23). Interestingly, Roach notices the major problem for
the L2 English learners is “that in present-day English the extent of the vowel
movement is very small, except in very careful pronunciation”. Therefore, the middle
vowel is often hardly heard and the resulting sound is difficult to identify (Roach,
1991, p. 23).

Table 2
Distribution of the triphthongs with examples

Triphthong Vowels Example Triphthong Vowels Example

eɪə eɪ + ə player əʊə əʊ + ə lower
aɪə aɪ + ə fire aʊə aʊ + ə hour
ɔɪə ɔɪ + ə royal

1.2 Consonants

When the consonants are being produced, the airstream is obstructed through
several pronunciation techniques (manner of articulation) and in several places in the
mouth (places of articulation) (Smakman, 2020, p. 14). Another distinction is based
on voicing. Roach (1991) describes voicing (or phonation) as the vibrations of vocal
folds that can be heard, and that can vary in intensity, frequency, and quality (p. 20).

With regard to the place of articulation, we distinguish the origin where the
airstream is modified. The areas are visualized in Figure 4 and typically, they are
overlapping.

Figure 5

12
Places of Articulation (Makman, 2020, p. 29)

Regarding the manner of articulation, we distinguish six groups of consonants

according to how the vocal tract is closed and how the sound is made by air passing
through. Their differentiation is found in table 3 with the explanation. Whereas in the
following table 4, the full distinction of English consonant phonemes is shown there.

Table 3
Manner of articulation (Kelly, 2000, p. 13)

Consonant group Consonants Description

A complete closure is made somewhere in the
vocal tract, and the soft palate is also raised. Air
plosive p, t, k, b, d, g
pressure increases behind the closure, and is then
released "explosively".
A complete closure is made somewhere in the
mouth, and the soft palate is raised. Air pressure
affricate tʃ, dʒ
increases behind the closure, and is then released
more slowly.

When the two vocal organs come close enough

fricative f, v, θ, ð, s, z, ʃ, ʒ, h together for the movement of air between them to
be heard.
A closure is made by the lips, or by the tongue
nasal m, n, ŋ against the palate, the soft palate is lowered, and
air escapes through the nose.
A partial closure is made by the blade of the
lateral l tongue against the alveolar ridge. Air is able to
flow around the sides of the tongue.
Vocal organs come near to each other, but not so
approximant r, j, w
close as to cause audible friction.
Table 4

13
English Consonant Phonemes (Kelly, 2000, p. 15)

Place of articulation
Front ----------------------------------------------------------> Back
labio- palato-
bilabial dental dental alveolar alveolar palatal velar glottal
plosive p, b t, d k, g
manner of articulation

affricate tʃ, dʒ
fricative f, v θ, ð s, z ʃ, ʒ h
nasal m n ŋ

lateral l
approximant (w) r j w

1.3 Word Stress

Word stress or word accent is the manner of promoting a syllable in a word.

One-syllable words are always stressed (unless they represent their weak form).
Words containing more than one syllable give the main emphasis to one primary
syllable. A stressed syllable is always more prominent than an unstressed one. The
speaker can make it prominent by pronouncing such syllables loudly, longer, with a
high pitch, or with a clearer vowel sound in contrast with the reduced ones.

Considering the complexity of the language, there are recognized not only the
stressed or unstressed levels but also more intermediate ones. Therefore, the terms
“primary” and “secondary” stress have been introduced. Primary stress stands for the
most prominent syllable within the word. While secondary stress syllable is
pronounced with weaker stress than primary stress but with stronger than unstressed
one (Roach, 1991, p. 87).

For transcription purpose, primary stress is marked in IPA with a raised

vertical line ˈ and secondary stress is marked with a lowered vertical line ˌ as you can
see in the examples below. Both of the lines must be placed in front of the syllable
that is being marked.

/prəˌnʌnsiˈeɪʃn/

14
 /ˌhɪpəˈpɒtəməs/

“Often, stress within words isn’t predictable and can seem arbitrary, since
English has incorporated vocabulary from so many other languages,” (Cameron,
2018, p. 233). Unlike the Czech language where the first syllable is stressed, it is
rather a difficult task to select the correct syllable to stress in an English word. As a
result, several principles have been formed to predict syllable stress.

Two-syllable words that have the same spelling for a noun as well as for the
verb shift their stress in a constant manner. If the word represents a noun, it is usually
stressed on the first syllable. On the contrary, if the word represents a verb, it is
usually stressed on the second syllable (Cameron, 2018, p. 234).

Table 5
Shifting stress from noun to verb

noun verb
/ˈkɒntest/ /kənˈtest/
/ˈɪmpɔːt/ /ɪmˈpɔːt/
/ˈpɜːmɪt/ /pəˈmɪt/

Another tendency can be stated about compound words, however, even here a
variety of exceptions can be found. A compound that is formed by blending two
nouns together has its stress on the first noun. Differing from phrasal verbs formed
by blending a verb with a preposition or adverb, the second element is stressed
(Cameron, 2018, p. 234 – 235).

Table 6
Examples of stress patterns

compound nouns phrasal verbs

ballpark get up
bookcase break in
fireman give up
seaside make up

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1.4 Weak Forms

The English language operates with certain words that can be pronounced in
two distinct ways. These are called a strong form and a weak form. Nearly all of the
roughly forty words having both forms belong to the category of function words in
English. Typically, they are auxiliary verbs, articles, prepositions, conjunctions and
pronouns. Weak forms are made when a strong vowel is replaced by the sound ə,
which results in producing an unstressed syllable.

Speaking with vowel reduction and using weak forms is natural for native
speakers. It is therefore without a doubt essential, to learn and weak forms and to
integrate it to L2 speaker’s active lexis. By not knowing the weak forms, L2 speakers
can be vulnerable to misunderstandings in communication with native English
speakers (Roach, 1991, p. 102). You can find the list of the common weak forms in
the Appendix 1.

1.5 Intonation

Another significant aspect of pronunciation is intonation. “The term

intonation is a linguistically significant change of voice pitch, i.e. the pitch change
has to be perceptible and under the speaker's control,” (Roach, 1991, pp. 133-134).
However, intonation varies and each individual speaker has their own range of pitch.

People use intonation mostly unconsciously but it is a fundamental part of

how the language functions. When anybody is talking, their intonation is changing. It
ranges from low to the high pitch which creates a unique melody of an individual
language. Roach pointed out (1991) that “speakers select from a choice of tones
according to how they want the utterance to be heard,” (p. 135). In effect, one
utterance can be said in different ways producing a different discourse.

To describe the intonation of one-syllable English utterance, five main tones

can be used: a level, fall, rise, fall-rise and the less frequently used rise-fall. The most
frequently used tones are fall and fall-rise. A falling tone, also called a proclaiming

16
tone, is generally used for adding a degree of finality. In other words, the speaker
proclaims to state facts, express opinions and truths, and asks for new information.
The fall-rise tone is called a referring tone. In this case, the speaker refers to known
information and he also checks the correctness of the information (Kelly, 2000, p.
101).

If the speaker uses a rising tone, the listener can await that more information
will follow. A rise-fall tone can be used to convey negative attitudes like disapproval
and dislike, or extremely positive approval and surprise. A level tone is neutral,
widely used for repetitive actions, and often conveys something uninteresting and
boring (Roach, 1991, pp. 138 – 140).

The easiest system of notation the utterances and their intonation can use the
arrows, although more complex systems also exist.

Figure 6
Notation system for intonation using arrows (Kelly, 2000)

17
2 Teaching pronunciation

Generally, majority of English language teachers consider vocabulary and

grammar to be the basis of their teaching, e.g. skills that are “teachable and
improvable parts of the language” (qtd. in Atar, 2018, p. 91). Of course, listening,
reading and functional dialogues are also important for them. But only a few of them
integrate pronunciation teaching in a regular constructive manner. Acquiring correct
pronunciation cannot be done by itself or by intuition. Still, it is a weak spot of not
only the Czech school system of learning English as a second language.

The twentieth century brought new trends and methods used for teaching and
learning pronunciation. Traditional methods are inclined to follow the principle of
nativeness, which means that students were taught mainly for communication with
native English speakers. Such an approach has been substituted with the principle of
intelligibility as Jenkins (1998) explains: “Nowadays English most frequently serves
as a worldwide lingua franca for its vast numbers of non-native users, and ... it is no
longer the property of its native speakers” (p. 119). Munro and Derwing (1995)
define intelligibility as “the extent to which a speaker’s message is actually
understood” (p. 76, p. 291). Along with years passing by, views, methods and goals
of pronunciation teaching changed. At present, a reasonable balance is the most
respected approach (Atar, 2018; Jenkins, 2000; Munro and Derwing, 2015). Atar
(2018) concludes:

To sum up the argument, one of the fundamental aims of pronunciation teaching today
is to have learners have an intelligible accent by which they can communicate
throughout the world. Having a standard or a native-like accent is devalued as it does
not conform to the reality and as it is not feasible in a globalized world where needs and
goals vary immensely. Today, the number of people using English as non-natives is
more than the natives throughout the world.
(p. 97)

Following any principle or view, there are various techniques of

pronunciation teaching. Modern language teachers prefer using a game-based
approach and various online applications for teaching pronunciation, especially when
teaching young learners or teenagers. These methods often motivate students more,

18
as they enhance visual imagination and learning in the process of playing games. The
pandemic period starting in spring 2020 showed that interactive online tools are
necessary for keeping on students' education and hold massive potential for future
teaching and learning. It resulted in a substitution of traditional face-to-face
education with online learning or at least blending both forms.

To establish a functional frame for pronunciation teaching, a teacher can

choose from three different types of approaches. The pronunciation is taught either as
integrated lessons, remedial (reactive) lessons or practice lessons. The integrated
lessons include pronunciation together with other language systems and skill in the
language presentation or practise, whereas remedial lessons approach pronunciation
difficulties that emerged during the standard lesson. The practice lessons deal with
pronunciation as the main topic of the lesson, and particular features are practised
(Kelly, 2002, p. 14).

2.1 Teaching adolescents

Pupils attending lower secondary classes belong to the age group of

adolescents. As such, they show some general features connected with the maturing
process. These features influence their learning, and thus, it is beneficial for a teacher
to adjust their teaching style to meet this group’s specifics.

An important sign of adolescence is that students are able to think in

abstraction. They start to think critically about the topic and express their opinions
and concepts in a more abstract way that young learners probably cannot do. Unlike
young children, they can learn faster, and their concentration span lasts longer.

Unfortunately, this age also related to loss of intrinsic motivation. Dekeyser

explained that “The older a student gets, the more explicit the learning processes he
or she will use: accessing and applying explanations, deliberate learning of lists of
vocabulary, testing hypotheses, focused practise (as cited in Ur, 2012, p. 258).
Besides, they usually have not chosen to learn what a teacher is presenting to them.

19
In contrast with adults, adolescents are not always willing to cooperate during the
lessons.

Adolescence is also the age of finding new identities. Harmer (2007) notices
that it has got a connection with their reluctance to learn pronunciation in fear of
losing their identity that is bonded with their mother tongue (p. 82).

From all the reasons mentioned, motivation seems to be the key factor in
adolescents teaching. It can be reached by building a mutual relationship between the
teacher and the students and using topics that students are interested in.

2.2 Selected pronunciation teaching methods

To train either productive or receptive skills when teaching pronunciation,

a teacher can use a wide range of different methods, techniques and activities.
Usually, activities combine more than one pronunciation method. Here is the list of
selected ones:

Drilling

Drilling exercises involve repeating the model words or word structures that
the teacher is saying. It is used “to help students achieve better pronunciation of
language items and help them remember new items” (Kelly, 2002, p. 16). Different
kinds of repetition drills may be used. According to the purpose, we distinguish a
choral drill (the whole class is repeating) and an individual drill (only one student is
repeating). Language drills are crucial to enhance specific phonemes, to become
accustomed to rhythm and intonation or even word stress.

Chaining

Chains are special types of drills where learners repeat the basic prompt given
by a teacher, supplementing it with additional word structure. This process resembles
adding links to a chain, therefore its name. There are many kinds of chains: back
chain, front chain, and substitution chain.

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 For instance, back chaining is very useful for learning and training
pronunciation. Especially if learners find targeted words too long and too
complicated to pronounce. Besides, such a back chain provides focus on phonemes
realized in the selected word.

Targeted word: auditorium [ˌɔː.dɪˈtɔː.ri.əm]

Back chain: [əm]

[ri.əm]

[tɔː.ri.əm]

[dɪˈtɔː.ri.əm]

[ˌɔː.dɪˈtɔː.ri.əm]

Minimal pairs and related activities

These are the pairs of words that differ only in one phoneme. They can be
used in different ways to identify and reinforce the particular sound. The differences
can be contrasted on flashcards, searched in text, or listened for identification.
Teacher can choose from various activities that include using minimal pairs.

Minimal pairs bingo is an activity that follows typical rules for a bingo. Bingo
sheets contain words with similar pronunciation (usually several different minimal
pairs) instead of numbers. This activity can help to raise awareness of specific
sounds. Moreover, learners can be asked to read aloud the called words and
effectively train their pronunciation.

Listening activities

One of the language learning objectives is to strengthen students’ listening

skills to be able to understand more. “The listening exercise can require students to
listen out for this area of language and listen out for how it is used and pronounced in
the context of a narrative or a conversation,” (Kelly, 2002, p. 21).

21
 Odd one out is an activity for identifying sounds. The selection of provided
words is either performed by reading or listening. If learners listen to the words, it is
a listening activity. Their task is to recognize a word that contains a different sound
than the rest.

[mɑːtʃ], [smɑːt], [bʌɡ], [dɑːk], [pɑːt]

Reading activities

Although reading is an example of a receptive activity where students receive

language, it represents a convenient tool for noticing written and spoken form of
utterances. Moreover, reading texts can cover various topics tailor-made for the
learners, and also, many post-reading fun and creative activities can be generated.
The learners can read texts silently or aloud. Both options have their own benefits
concerning pronunciation goals (Kelly, 2002, p. 22).

A great example of reading activities used for pronunciation purposes are

tongue twisters, although any text could emphasize the targeted sounds. “She sells
seashells by the seashore of Seychelles” is a tongue twister focusing on
pronunciation of [s], [ʃ].

22
PRACTICAL PART

3 Introduction to Research

The original aim of this thesis was to observe how pronunciation is taught in
lower secondary schools in the Olomouc region. For this reason, three lower
secondary schools from the region were selected for observations. I intended to
monitor each teacher's teaching methods for a certain period of time and assess their
impact on students’ pronunciation. Finally, improvement of students’ pronunciation
would have been analyzed, and effectiveness of specific teaching methods would
have been assessed.

In the middle of addressing selected English teachers during spring 2020, all
schools had been closed by the government order in an attempt to stop spreading the
coronavirus. This unprecedented situation had a critical impact on my research. With
schools closed and no distance learning legally implemented, I had no option but to
postpone the observations till September. Unfortunately, none of the selected
teachers was able to join my research even during September. The situation seemed
critical again, and it was recommended to minimize contacts, which prevented my
research from starting.

Instead of waiting for improving the situation, I considered several

adjustments of the research to conduct it while maintaining most of the original plan.
Unfortunately, the hygienic and pandemic rules for schools gradually got tightened.
As a result, the schools were closed again in October 2020. In the end, it was evident
that it would not be possible to preserve the research as planned anymore.

Schools were reopened in the second half of November 2020 for only a
month. The lower secondary students were allowed to attend school only every
second week. In the meantime, they were learning at home. Considering the
situation, I decided to conduct the research at the school I am currently working at,
with no other teachers involved. The proposed research model was to design
pronunciation teaching methods, apply them to the pupils for a limited period of
time, and evaluate the overall effect on the pupils’ pronunciation. Besides, I

23
compiled a questionnaire for English teachers at lower secondary schools to map the
situation completing the details of the research. These teachers were asked to give
details of how they teach pronunciation in their English classes.

Furthermore, it would seem illogical to limit the research only to the

Olomouc region. With no observations at selected schools within the region, I also
shifted a range of the research to the whole Czech Republic.

In the end, school were closed again soon during December 2020, and all
lower secondary pupils have been learning online at home since. My research is
therefore conducted entirely in distance learning mode.

At the beginning of planning my research, I created two hypotheses:

1. Pronunciation teaching is a minor area of English teaching at Czech lower

secondary schools.

2. It is possible to improve students’ pronunciation by using regularly

executed pronunciation teaching activities even during the distance learning
mode.

24
4 Research Methodology

The practical part of this bachelor thesis deals with the two hypotheses
separately, analyze them and investigates for possible connections in the end.

I designed a questionnaire (see Appendix 2) that was shared in a Facebook

group of teachers and lectors of English during September 2020, to get familiar with
pronunciation teaching at lower secondary schools in the Czech Republic. Only
teachers and lectors who teach lower secondary students were asked to fill it in. The
questionnaire contained closed questions in order to find out basic features of
English pronunciation teaching at Czech schools. There were questions about the
frequency of teaching all English language systems and skills, the teaching of
individual aspects of pronunciation, pronunciation teaching activities, and evaluation
of one’s pronunciation teaching.

For my own research work I chose two forms from lower secondary school
ZŠ Vápenná. These two forms have the highest number of English lessons per week.
Unlike other forms with three English lessons, 8.A and 9.A have four English lessons
per week which is especially convenient for additional pronunciation teaching. Form
8.A consists of 16 pupils, and the form 9.A consists of 9 pupils. I have been teaching
English in both forms for three years now, which allows me to adapt the curriculum
freely, and I could benefit from being familiar with them. Pupils of this school start
with learning English in their second school year. Before they enter their sixth school
year, they are given very good foundations of English, including pronunciation.
Starting from the year 2019, we have been developing a new concept of teaching
English focusing on pronunciation and spoken interactions. The pronunciation
activities designed for this thesis serve as a part of this project as well.

The research work started early in September 2020 when learners were
getting familiar with IPA and English sounds. Both 8.A and 9.A had afternoon
English classes in the timetable so I used it as an opportunity to devote this time to
pronunciation teaching only. I taught four of these afternoon classes during
September and October. Then it was interrupted by a school closure. I managed to
create a relaxed atmosphere to decrease the tiredness of learners. In general, these

25
lessons were pleasant and funny. Especially when pupils tried to imitate my mouth
and face while producing the sounds of English. Exaggerated performance definitely
raised the attractiveness of the lessons. The fun factor was needed to overcome the
pupils' drowsiness and tiredness in the afternoon class. An example of the studying
material is available in Appendix 3.

All of the English vowels were covered in these lessons, that is, all of the
monophthongs and most of the diphthongs. I continued with the research work in
January 2020. It was not necessary to study consonants in the same manner as in
September for several main reasons. Firstly, English sounds had been introduced to
the learners in the past; therefore, it was sufficient to revise them occasionally.
Secondly, there was only a little time for the rest of the pronunciation activities.

Core research work started at the beginning of January 2021. Starting from
the new year, lower secondary schools were closed, and distance learning mode was
enabled. Teachers at ZŠ Vápenná have been using both synchronous and
asynchronous learning. Synchronous learning is provided by videoconferencing with
the use of the Google Meet application. Asynchronous learning is represented by
virtual classes on the Google Classroom platform where studying materials,
assessments, tests, students’ worksheets and other attachments are organized and
stored.

Due to this major change in education, a timetable for the pupils was
changed, and the number of classes was reduced. It meant that both observed forms
had only three online lessons of English, instead of originally four. In addition, soon
after research had started, English lessons were divided into two isolated classes,
each for one group of pupils. In effect, pupils have been learning English only three
times a week for 25 minutes. Such changes enormously affected the research, mainly
its time frame and quality.

In the following months from January till March, I have been teaching
English with a focus on pronunciation. Because of the short time of lessons, all of
them were practice lessons. I used various pronunciation methods and activities in

26
the online sessions2. All of them were supported by numerous online applications.
The aim was not only to teach learners pronunciation features but also to keep them
motivated and interested.

The research period was finished at the end of March 2021 and was
concluded with the final students’ recordings. The final recordings were used to
assess whether students’ pronunciation improved or not.

2
Specific pronunciation teaching methods will be discussed in chapter 5.1 Pronunciation Teaching
Analysis

27
5 Data Analysis

In the following chapters, data retrieved from the questionnaire will be

examined and learners’ progress in their pronunciation will be measured and
analyzed.

5.1 Pronunciation Teaching Analysis

As stated in chapter 3, Introduction to Research, the core method for the

research was supposed to be classroom observations. Due to the pandemic of
coronavirus, it was not possible to use this method. Alternatively, I recorded my own
pronunciation teaching and analyzed development in students’ pronunciation.

The starting point for the research was initial students’ recordings. At the
beginning of the observed period, all participating students were asked to record
themselves reading the given text. Then the recordings were assessed in terms of
fluency and accuracy, as seen in table 7. The criteria were intentionally kept simple
enough to stay in a range of lower secondary curriculum.

Table 7
Assessment of learners’ pronunciation
Fluency (speed, mispronunciation, correcting words, comprehension) 2
Vowels 5
Segmentals
Consonants 5
Word stress 2
Accuracy
Weak forms 2
Suprasegmentals
Intonation 2
Other aspects (linking r, silent letters, rhythm) 2
Total points 20

Students received different texts for the recordings based on their proficiency.
Less proficient learners read shorter texts with more general words. The purpose was
to assess their pronunciation, not to burden them with too complicated text. On the
28
contrary, more proficient learners could possibly show skills ranging in broader
pronunciation aspects.

Texts were taken from Reading Comprehension Skills and Strategies series of
books created by Saddleback Educational Publishing. You can find them listed in
Appendix 3. Most of the recordings were done during the class in their home
environment. Students were advised not to haste, be careful about pronunciation and
speak loudly and clearly. No problems occurred, and all participants submitted their
recordings either as an audio file in Google Classroom or as an audio message on the
Messenger platform.

Table 8
Assessment of learners’ pronunciation at the initial stage

Word Weak Other Total

Learner Fluency Vowels Consonants Intonation
stress forms aspects points
1 1.5 5 5 2 2 2 1.5 19
2 1.5 4 3.5 1 1.5 2 1.5 15
3 1 3.5 4 2 1 2 1.5 15
4 1 3 2.5 1 1 1.5 1 11
5 1.5 2.5 3.5 1 0.5 1 1 11
6 1.5 3.5 4 1.5 1 2 1 14.5
7 0.5 2 2 1 0 0 0.5 6
8 1 3 3 1 0.5 1 1 10.5
9 0.5 2.5 3 1 0.5 1 1 9.5
10 2 4.5 5 2 1.5 2 1.5 18.5
11 1.5 4 4 1.5 1 2 1.5 15.5
12 2 5 5 2 2 2 1.5 19.5
13 1.5 4.5 4.5 2 1 1.5 1.5 16.5
14 2 5 5 2 1.5 2 2 19.5
15 1.5 4.5 4 2 1 1.5 1.5 16
16 1 3 3.5 1 1 1 1 11.5
17 1 3.5 3.5 1 0.5 1.5 1.5 12.5
18 1 3.5 3.5 1 1 1 0.5 11.5
19 1 3.5 3.5 1 1 1 1 12
20 0.5 2.5 3 1 0 0.5 0.5 8
21 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
22 0.5 2.5 2.5 1 0 1 0.5 8
23 0.5 2.5 2.5 0.5 0 0.5 0.5 7
24 1 3 3.5 1 1 1 0.5 11
25 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 3

29
 Table 8 presents the assessment of students’ pronunciation based on initial
recordings. It is evident that these are mixed classes of students with varying
proficiency. The top learners would belong among the B2 group of the Common
European Framework of Reference for Languages, whereas bottom learners are still
beginners.

The fluency points were awarded based on the calculation of the correct
pronounced words per minute. The number of correct words per minute is divided by
the number of words per minute. Any pronunciation mistake or hesitation in
pronouncing resulted in marking such word as incorrect. The final ratio expresses
fluency. If a learner scored 1 – 0.8, he or she was awarded 2 points. Fluency 0.79 –
0.6 yielded 1.5 points, fluency 0.59 – 0.4 yielded 1 point, fluency 0.39 – 0.2 yielded
0.5 points and fluency below 0.19 yielded 0 points.

The analogous calculation was used for word stress, weak forms, vowels and
consonants. When awarding points for word stress, the incorrect word was a word
where stress was placed incorrectly. When awarding points for weak forms, the
incorrect word was a weak form that was read as a full form. When awarding points
for vowels/consonants, the incorrect word was a word with the incorrectly realized
sound. For criteria of word stress and weak forms, five proportional intervals served
to assign points (1 – 0.8 ~ 2 points, 0.79 – 0.6 ~ 1.5 points, 0.59 – 0.4 ~ 1 point, 0.39
– 0.2 ~ 0.5 points and 0.19 – 0 ~ 0 points). For criteria of vowels and consonants, ten
proportional intervals served to assign points (1 – 0.9 ~ 5 points, 0.89 – 0.8 ~ 4.5
points, 0.79 – 0.7 ~ 4 points, 0.69 – 0.6 ~ 3.5 points, 0.59 – 0.5 ~ 3 points, 0.49 – 0.4
~ 2.5 points, 0.39 – 0.3 ~ 2 points, 0.29 – 0.2 ~ 1.5 points, 0.19 – 0.1 ~ 1 point, 0.9 –
0 ~ 0 points).

Calculating points for intonation was more difficult. A checklist for scoring
the maximum was created as follows:

- All sentences were read with the correct intonation.

- The melody of speech was natural.
- The speech was not monotonous.

The number of correct assets divided by the number of ideal/model assets

gave the ratio used for awarding the points.
30
 Similarly, the checklist for the bonus criterion was created as follows:

- The speech had a proper rhythm.

- A learner used linking.
- A learner used assimilation.
- A learner used elision.
- A learner used aspiration.

Again, the number of correct assets divided by the number of ideal/model

assets gave the ratio used for awarding the points.

Table 9 illustrates different types of pronunciation activities that were used in

both of the classes during the research period from January till March 2021. The
main categories were used according to the research of Amanda Baker (2014). All of
the activities had to be adjusted for online learning with regard to technical
capabilities of students. After the table follows a more detailed description of the
methods.

Table 9
Summary of the different pronunciation activities used in classes 8.A and 9.A

Pronunciation activity Description Example

Listening text Students listen to a text.
presentations
Explanation with Teacher explains and gives Explanation of pronunciation of
examples examples. specific phonemes using mouth
or videos (Tim's Pronunciation
Workshop available at
bbc.co.uk).
Kinaesthetic/tactile Teacher explains using specific Raising or lowering the hand
explanation physical movements. when explaining intonation
patterns, clapping hands for
keeping the rhythm patterns.
Production practise Students read previously Combination of textbook
explained example. Bloggers and my own created
material (see Appendix 4).
Checking activity Teacher checks student Asking questions.
performance.
Giving feedback Teacher gives feedback. Mostly done by checking
students' activity online using the
shared documents (Google Docs,
Google Sheets, Google
Presentations – see Appendix 7).

31
Question-answer Teacher asks questions to verify
verification students understanding.
Pronunciation drills Students repeat targeted
sequence.
Visual identification Students identify and select a
targeted feature based on visual specific phonemes, usually using
prompt or text.
Audio identification Students identify and select a
targeted feature based on
listening.
Testing activity Students do a quiz to assess
their understanding.
Preparation Students prepare for a major
task in groups.
Game Students engage in a language
activity that involves a
competition.
Presentation Students present on a topic.
Speech Students give a speech on a
topic.
Discussion Students discuss a topic.
Lessons based on identifying
Google Jamboard (see Appendix
5, 6).
Lessons based on textbooks
Bloggers 1 - 3 where students
listened to audio files shared in
their Google Classroom and
afterwards, they did written
exercises in the workbooks).
Tests and quizzes were created
by a teacher using Google Forms,
Quizlet, Kahoot (see Appendix 9)
Group work was simulated on
Google Meet Breakout Rooms or
with use of the shared documents
(see Appendix 8).
Games included applications
Quizlet, Wordwall, Kahoot (see
Appendix 10).
Students trained their speech in
special conversation classes
every Wednesday on different
topics. These classes were
obligatory for more advanced
students and voluntarily for the
rest.
Students were discussing various
topics during the conversation
class on Wednesdays (see
Appendix 8).

Visual identification of English sounds

(Appendix 5, 6)

The identification of vowels and consonants of English was a basic step for
any further pronunciation teaching. The visualization of phonemes was necessary to
bring learners to their fullest attention. Visual illustrations have a positive effect on
learners’ attention, interest and association.

32
 For this reason, warm-up activities in my English classes were usually
focused on either identifying sounds or on drilling the correct pronunciation of
provided set of words.

It was beneficial also to use these activities as the main topic of the lesson.
Learners are then able to progress from the identification of phonemes to incorporate
them into their own pronunciation. As the process keeps repeating, the pronunciation
is being reinforced. Thus, learners’ pronunciation sounds more natural, and they feel
more confident when speaking.

A model online lesson started with a group exercise. The teacher shared a
Google Jamboard sheet with students. Students were asked one by one to read the
word written on one side of the sheet and match it with a phoneme written on the
other side. The rest of the class listened and provided feedback. In the second half of
the lesson, students worked independently on their own assignment. Assignments
normally required the Internet connection and applications Google Jamboard, Google
Docs or Google Sheets. After completion, students’ assignments were evaluated via
Google Classroom.

Audio identification of English sounds

To teach learners pronunciation also means to provide the sources of a model

pronunciation they could hear. Online lessons are particular in terms of bad audio
transfer, the impossibility of hearing the many-voiced talk and the students’ general
timidity to talk. Therefore, drilling was nearly impossible to do, and other methods
must have been tested.

The simplest way was to upload an audio file of any listening exercise to a
Google Classroom. After listening to it, students were asked to do various post-
listening exercises. Usually, they filled in gaps, or they performed a dictation. Both
of the two exercises mentioned were easy to scan and upload to Google Classroom
for further checking.

33
 Pre-made listening exercises were also practical and authentic sources.
Students liked to work on the worksheets from the British Council website. They
found it interesting with currents themes. The worksheets are ordered according to
the CEFR level of English which indeed is very helpful for a teacher who manages a
highly differentiated class of students.

Testing activities and games

(Appendix 9, 10)

Testing served to assess the learner’s progress in learning. For pronunciation

purposes, quizzes on websites Kahoot and Quizlet were created. These quizzes
served mostly as fun activities for students. They had a chance to become aware of
their knowledge, and at their own pace, they could practise alone whenever they
wanted.

Users of Quizlet are given a set of words presented as digital flashcards.

Learners can memorize them and write their counterpart based on visuals or
listening. Quizzes represent the final part of learning and contain written, matching,
multiple-choice and true/false questions.

Quizzes on Kahoot are more interactive because they require joining a group
of players at the same time. The quiz is presented as a competition among these
players where the fastest and the correct wins.

Whereas quizzes on Quizlet are mainly used as homework assignments,

quizzes on Kahoot are fun elements to raise the mood during the lesson or award
students for good work throughout the lesson.

The third option that was used is the tests by Google Forms. These are
primarily used for evaluation and grading the students. Although, no grades were
given apart from an A. Google Forms tests were used only twice during the research,
and in both cases, they had a motivational character for learners.

34
Speeches and discussions
(Appendix 8)

Group discussions and speeches were methods where learners used the
knowledge of pronunciation teaching in practice. Not only a teacher was there to
correct the speaker or give guidance, but also the peer learners could have reacted.
Even the simplest reaction in the form of a question, “Can you please repeat it
because I didn’t understand?” is a hint for a speaker of what to rectify or what to deal
with next.

With regard to the time limit of the English lessons, discussions took place
only on Wednesday’s classes. Whereas normal English classes take 25 minutes,
Wednesday’s speaking class takes 45 minutes and is focused entirely on
pronunciation and speaking.

The activity developed for this class was called "the Speak battle" - a very
similar competition as rap battles. The students are divided into two groups based on
some group formation activity. The topic is then revealed, and both groups are
assigned their separate breakout rooms where they discuss the pros and cons of their
understanding of the problem. Finally, the leaders of both groups have the speak
battle, and the winner is the person who convinces the counterpart.

Another time, students were given a topic at the beginning of the class, and
their task was to prepare the speech. After the preparation, they were to talk about it
for a certain period of time.

Speaking is not easy for students, and they needed constant motivation and
encouragement. However, it is for sure that these classes were enriching for a teacher
and the pupils.

35
 The final phase of the research symbolized the second set of the student’s
recordings. At the end of March 2021, students were asked to record themselves for
the final assessment of their pronunciation. They were given the same text as in
January to maximize their chances for proving the improvement. Except for one
student, everybody submitted their final recordings. Table 10 presents the results
after assessing pronunciation and a degree of improvement measured in per cent.

Table 10
Assessment of learners’ pronunciation at the final stage

Word Weak Other Total Improvement

Learner Fluency Vowels Consonants Intonation
stress forms aspects points (%)
1 2 5 5 2 2 2 1.5 19.5 2.6
2 2 4 3.5 1 1.5 2 1.5 15.5 3.3
3 1 4 4 2 1 2 1.5 15.5 3.3
4 1 3 2.5 1 1 1.5 1 11 0
5 1.5 2.5 3.5 1 0.5 1 1 11 0
6 1.5 3.5 4 1.5 1 2 1 14.5 0
7 0.5 2 2 1 0 0 0.5 6 0
8 1 3 3 1 0.5 1 1 10.5 0
9 0.5 2.5 3 1 0.5 1 1 9.5 0
10 2 5 5 2 1.5 2 1.5 19 2.7
11 1.5 4.5 4.5 1.5 1 2 1.5 16.5 6.5
12 2 5 5 2 2 2 1.5 19.5 0
13 1.5 4.5 4.5 2 1 1.5 1.5 16.5 0
14 2 5 5 2 1.5 2 2 19.5 0
15 1.5 4.5 4.5 2 1 1.5 1.5 16.5 3.1
16 1 3 3.5 1 1 1 1 11.5 0
17 1 3.5 3.5 1 0.5 1.5 1.5 12.5 0
18 1 3.5 3.5 1 1 1 0.5 11.5 0
19 1.5 4 3.5 1 1 1 1 13 8.3
20 0.5 2.5 3 1 0 0.5 0.5 8 0
21 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0
22 0.5 2.5 2.5 1 0 1 0.5 8 0
23 0.5 2.5 2.5 0.5 0 0.5 0.5 7 0
24 1 3.5 3.5 1 1 1 0.5 11.5 4.5
25 inconclusive

The results overall show a minor improvement of pronunciation which, on

average, is only 1.4 per cent. Nonetheless, there is no decrease that would indicate
worsening of pronunciation. An increase of points is marked with the green colour in

36
the table. Looking across the chart, the gathered data mostly evince no change from
the initial state. The greatest partial improvement includes fluency and phonemes. In
terms of fluency, this change can also be caused by the fact that learners were
familiar with the texts and possibly less stressed about the activity. Certainly,
improving pronunciation of sounds will be the anticipated outcome of the teaching
focused on this particular aspect the most. There is a visible trend of positive
development among learners with better pronunciation. This can be explained by
their higher motivation and perhaps greater capacity of understanding the topic.

5.2 Questionnaire analysis

The results given by a teacher’s questionnaire should confirm or disprove the

first hypothesis, that is, whether or not is teaching pronunciation a neglected area of
teaching English as a second language at Czech schools. Also, it shows interesting
facts about how exactly is pronunciation taught at lower secondary schools. The
questionnaire was presented to a Facebook group called “Digitální lektoři”. It was an
anonymous questionnaire that contained seventeen closed questions with regards to
the character of individual pronunciation teaching. Finally, all 44 responses are
discussed bellow.

1. Indicate the district in the Olomouc region where your school is located.

The first question was an indicator of the school location. As I stated in

Introduction, I was originally interested only in teaching pronunciation at lower
secondary schools in the Olomouc region. 86.4% of respondents were not from the
Olomouc region, which is another reason I changed the research range from the
Olomouc region to the whole Czech Republic.

37
Figure 7
Location of the schools were respondents teach

2. What is your age?

The second question inquired the age group of ESL teachers at lower
secondary schools. Although the age factor is not directly connected to pronunciation
teaching, it could contribute to the final findings of a state of ESL teaching in the
Czech Republic.

Figure 8
Age group of ESL teachers at the Czech lower secondary schools

The results show that the most represented age group of teachers within the
questionnaire are teachers relatively young. Their age ranges from 25 to 50 years.

38
3. How many years have you been teaching English?

Another interesting indicator which is not directly connected with

pronunciation but rather completes overall findings is the length of practice in
English teaching. Figure 9 shows there is no significant trend in the distribution of
the length of experience in teaching English.

Figure 9
The length of experience in teaching English in years

7
6
6

5
Number of teachers

4 4 4 4
4
3 3
3
2 2 2 2
2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Number of years

4. Do you implement pronunciation teaching into your English teaching at

all?

The fourth question inquired whether teachers incorporate pronunciation

teaching at some level in their English lessons. The vast majority of respondents
answered positively. Surprisingly, 3 of 44 respondents stated that they do not teach
pronunciation at all. The possible explanation is that these teachers perhaps do not
incorporate pronunciation teaching specifically as a teaching focused on explanation
or practice. Some teachers let their students acquire correct pronunciation by
listening and repeating patterns. Therefore, the notion of what exactly is
“pronunciation teaching” is individual matter for every teacher.

39
Figure 10
Incorporation of pronunciation teaching in ESL classes

5. How often do you teach pronunciation?

Nearly half of the teachers teach pronunciation in every English lesson. This
question is associated with the previous one, and again, the answers do not express
the real situation. To get accurate data, the term “pronunciation teaching” would
have to be explained first.

According to some comments that respondents wrote, many teachers most

likely misinterpret the core of teaching pronunciation. It is not sufficient to teach
pronunciation by speaking and correcting students only.

Comment 1: “Whenever necessary, or when student asks, they usually pick up the
right pronunciation from me, if not, I correct them.”

Comment 2: “In my eyes, I teach it every lesson because in each lesson my students
speak and I speak to them, therefore they learn pronunciation.”

40
Figure 11
Frequency of teaching pronunciation in lower secondary ESL classes

20
18
16
Number of teachers

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
Every lesson At least once in a At least once in a Not very often Never
week month

6. How often do you teach specific language skills and systems?

This question aimed to confirm that pronunciation is placed among the least
taught areas of the English language. The results correlate with the previous
question, where 19 respondents indicated that they teach pronunciation in every
lesson. Here, 13 respondents answered that they always teach pronunciation.

Table 11
Distribution of teaching specific language skills and systems at Czech lower secondary
schools

Language skills and

Always Often Occasionally Seldom Never
systems
Grammar 23 19 2 0 0
Vocabulary 29 13 2 0 0
Pronunciation 13 22 8 1 0
Speaking 29 14 1 0 0
Writing 10 16 12 6 0
Reading 19 20 5 0 0
Listening 21 21 2 0 0

From a different perspective, it can be noted that pronunciation together with

writing belongs among the least practised areas. On the other hand, there are no high
gaps, and all language systems and skills are relatively equally represented (see

41
Figure 4). Table 12 shows a numerical representation of this distribution after
assigning a point value to each answer (always=5, often=4, occasionally=3,
seldom=2, never=1).

Table 12
Numerical representation of distribution of teaching specific language skills and
systems at Czech lower secondary schools

Language skills and systems Point value

Speaking 204
Vocabulary 203
Grammar 197
Listening 195
Reading 190
Pronunciation 179
Writing 160

Figure 12
Distribution of teaching specific language skills and systems at Czech lower secondary
schools

Speaking
Vocabulary
Grammar
Listening
Reading
Pronunciation
Writing

7. Do you find phonetic transcription necessary for correct pronunciation

teaching?

Whether to use phonetic transcription and IPA chart for pronunciation

teaching is a question commonly dividing teachers into two groups. The results here
clearly support the same argument. A group of teachers supporting using phonetic

42
transcription appreciate how it provides a base that helps students recognize sounds
and other phonetic features. It is a way of deriving a specific sound from a written
notation. On the contrary, opponents criticize using phonetic transcription as too
difficult for learners, and they usually work only with sounds and students’ memory
models.

Figure 13
Use of phonetic transcription and IPA at Czech lower secondary schools

8. What individual aspects of pronunciation do you teach and how often?

Next question illustrates the most commonly taught aspects of pronunciation

at Czech lower secondary schools. Table 14 shows numerical representation of this
distribution after assigning a point value to each answer (always=5, often=4,
occasionally=3, seldom=2, never=1).

Naturally, recognizing and practising sounds is the top one feature of teaching
pronunciation. Word stress teaching takes second place. Presumably, the reason
behind it is that the Czech language stresses the first syllable, unlike English
language, where stress is not easily predictable by Czech students. Phonetic symbols
and transcription were put at the bottom because half of the teachers do not use them
at all. The rhythm of an English sentence, sentence stress and assimilation teaching
belong to the less used pronunciation aspects.

43
Table 13
Distribution of teaching individual aspects of pronunciation at Czech lower secondary
schools

Aspects of pronunciation Always Often Occasionally Seldom Never

Recognizing and practising the sounds 11 20 10 1 2
Phonetic symbols and transcription 5 5 19 9 6
Word stress 9 16 14 4 1
Rhythm of an English sentence 9 14 10 10 1
Intonation 10 13 11 10 0
Sentence stress 6 14 12 9 3
Assimilation 7 11 13 11 2
Linking 12 12 7 12 1

Table 14
Numerical representation of distribution of teaching individual aspects of
pronunciation at Czech lower secondary schools

Aspects of pronunciation Point value

Recognizing and practising the sounds 169
Word stress 160
Intonation 155
Linking 154
Rhythm of an English sentence 152
Sentence stress 143
Assimilation 142
Phonetic symbols and transcription 126

Figure 14
Distribution of teaching individual aspects of pronunciation at Czech lower secondary
schools

Recognizing and
practising the sounds
Word stress

Intonation

Linking

Rhythm of an English
sentence
Sentence stress

Assimilation

44
9. What kind of activities focused on pronunciation do you use in your English
lessons?

In this question, teachers recorded pronunciation activities that they normally

use for teaching pronunciation in their ESL classes. Almost everybody agreed on
using imitation of sounds and listening activities (93%) and reading aloud with other
reading activities (89%). Three-thirds of teachers also use spelling activities (75%),
drilling and repetition (66%), tongue twisters (66%), and contrasting two similar
sounds (64%). Chorals and jazz chants are favourite activities for teaching
pronunciation of nearly half of teachers.

Use of phonemic chart, phonetic bingo and stress recognizing activities are
less used pronunciation methods, albeit still functional ones. Two of the respondents
named additional activities: listening and Ben Franklin exercises. These
pronunciation methods receiving the lowest amount of response could be explained
by the fact that the activities serve for pronunciation teaching only. Whereas top
activities are used for teaching more language skills than sole pronunciation.

Table 15
Pronunciation activities used in ESL classes at Czech lower secondary schools

Pronunciation activities Percentage of use

Imitation of teacher or recorded sounds and other listening activities 93%
Reading aloud and other reading activities 89%
Spelling activities 75%
Drilling and repetition 66%
Tongue twisters 66%
Contrasting two similar sounds (minimal pairs and homophones) 64%
Learning by heart (chorals, jazz chants) 46%
Use of phonemic chart 23%
Phonetic bingo 18%
Activities for recognizing stress patterns in sentences 18%
Listening activities 2%
Ben Franklin exercises with easy recordings 2%

45
10. Which way do you implement pronunciation teaching into the English
teaching frame?

The next question inquired about settings of pronunciation teaching in ESL

classes. The majority of respondents use integrated pronunciation teaching (68%).
11% of respondents set up special pronunciation lessons, and 9% have dedicated
slots for pronunciation teaching. It is alarming that many teachers (39%) teach
pronunciation randomly or on learners’ demand (2%). As described in the theoretical
part, only regularly set pronunciation teaching with proper lesson planning can be
effective.

Table 16
Pronunciation teaching setting in lower secondary ESL classes

Settings of pronunciation lessons Percentage of use

Integrated pronunciation teaching 68%
Randomly 39%
Special lessons focused on pronunciation 11%
Dedicated slots 9%
On demand 4%

11. What sources do you use for teaching pronunciation?

Teachers were asked to reveal their sources for teaching pronunciation. Most
of them use textbooks (78%) or online sources (78%) or a combination of both. 37%
of respondents create their own teaching materials, which is perhaps the best
solution, considering the fact that every class is different and the principle of
differentiation and individualization.

Table 17
Pronunciation teaching sources

Pronunciation teaching sources Percentage of use

Textbooks 78%
Online sources 78%
Teachers’ own created materials 37%

46
12. Do you find available English textbooks a sufficient source for
pronunciation teaching?

The twelfth question evaluates textbooks as sources for pronunciation

teaching. 9.1% of teachers are satisfied with textbooks, 47.7% are satisfied with
minor objections. However, the rest of the teachers (43.2%) do not find available
textbooks sufficient source for pronunciation teaching. The most likely explanation
would be that online sources are today widely available, and their offer is much more
abundant, far exceeding the Czech localization of textbooks designated for use at
Czech schools.

Figure 15
Adequacy of available English textbooks as sources for pronunciation teaching

13. Do you think that pronunciation teaching is an important aspect of

teaching English as a second language?

Considering the complexity of learning a language, one would expect that the
answer to this question would be “Yes” or “Rather yes”. Interestingly, one
respondent does not regard pronunciation teaching important in an ESL class.

47
Figure 16
Importance of pronunciation teaching in ESL classes

14. In general, do you think that pronunciation teaching is a neglected area of

teaching English as a second language?

This question was asked to confirm the first hypothesis. Altogether, 86.4% of
respondents consider pronunciation teaching a neglected area. There was not any
clear “No” answer, and there are only 13.6% of respondents do not really think so.

It should be noted that 93% of respondents stated in the fourth question that
they incorporate pronunciation teaching in their ESL classes, and nearly half of them
teach pronunciation in every lesson (see question 6).

Figure 17
Evaluation of neglecting of pronunciation teaching according to teachers of lower
secondary schools in the Czech Republic

48
15. Would you say that the way you teach pronunciation is satisfactory?

Nearly 89% of respondents consider their pronunciation teaching satisfactory.

Only 11.4% assume that there is something that needs to improve in their
pronunciation teaching.

This question serves as an indicator of the random choice of the respondents,

together with the fourth question. It is clear that if the generally accepted fact of
neglecting pronunciation teaching is acknowledged, but most of the respondents do
not consider themselves teaching pronunciation improperly, the choice of the
respondents was not random. Nevertheless, these teachers should give trustworthy
details about their concepts of pronunciation teaching.

Figure 18
Evaluation of teachers’ satisfaction of pronunciation teaching

16. Do you think that it is possible to teach pronunciation adequately in a

distance learning form?

The last question was added as a comparison tool for confirming the second
hypothesis. No teacher thinks it is impossible to teach pronunciation during distance
learning. On the contrary, only two respondents think that it is actually more
beneficial to teach pronunciation during distance learning. Most of the teachers
(59.1%) do not consider it possible because of the worse outcome. Many teachers
(36.4%) do not see any difference between distance learning and present learning in
terms of pronunciation teaching.

49
 This was definitely one of the most interesting sets with answers because of
topicality and interconnection with the parallel research at school.

Figure 19
Possibility of proper pronunciation teaching during distance learning

50
6 Conclusions

This thesis dealt with the teaching methods and activities suitable for
improving pronunciation of teenage learners who have been taking distance
education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its main purpose was to map how
pronunciation is taught at the Czech lower secondary schools and to use particular
teaching methods to improve pronunciation of learners during distance education. It
was also important to show that pronunciation teaching is vital for successful
learning a language, therefore, it mustn’t stay neglected area of teaching English.

In terms of neglecting pronunciation, the situation nowadays is not as bad as

was originally presumed. The results of the questionnaire suggest that many teachers
realize this problem and work hard to address it. Although the extent of respondents
was not significantly random enough to apply the findings for the whole Czech
Republic, most of the collected data appear to be valid. Addressed Facebook group
of teachers is a growing base of motivated teachers led by innovative and proactive
teachers of various languages. Therefore it can be stated that the first hypothesis of
neglecting pronunciation in English teaching was proved only partially. Obviously,
the research needs to ask a more diverse sample of teachers.

Distance education during COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to rethink

and rebuild their views and teaching methods. As the respondents confirmed in the
questionnaire, pronunciation teaching is possible. With almost unlimited access to
online sources through the Internet, teachers can adjust their teaching methods
despite technical limitations featuring online learning.

The author’s own pronunciation teaching represents efforts to overcome

many difficulties that define distance education. Generally, learners are less attentive,
less responsive, easily bored, with very little interest in learning. The more time
spent at home on distance learning, the more apathetic they become. Concerning
especially pronunciation, several major problems occurred. While having a video
conferencing lesson, it is not possible to understand more than one pupil
simultaneously. With this in mind, some of the pronunciation methods like group
drilling, chorals, even simple repetitions were not possible to perform. Also, many of

51
the kinaesthetic/tactile methods involving moving the body are nearly impossible to
do. Explaining and correcting pronunciation is another issue because the vast
majority of the pupils do not turn their cameras on, and teachers cannot see their
faces. Technical problems are yet another barrier. Sometimes, the Internet was too
slow, or the microphone did not work. Ultimately, clear sound is essential for
pronunciation teaching and learning. The last problem that could not be fully
overcome was the lack of time. Lessons had to be divided into two halves to engage
all pupils adequately. Therefore, the lessons were too short to teach the official
school curriculum and perform the research on top.

Despite the circumstances, the research was completed with a positive effect.
It was confirmed that it is possible to teach pronunciation in distance learning, thus
the second hypothesis was proved.

The author of the thesis finds the benefit in the constant motivation of
students and adding innovation and a fun factor in the lessons. Furthermore, this
thesis can serve as an insight into pronunciation learning during distance education
with all its advantages and disadvantages.

52
List of References

Atar, C. (2018). Should We Teach Pronunciation Explicitly in L2/EFL Classrooms?

International Journal of Contemporary Educational Research, 5(2), 95–102.
https://doi.org/10.33200/ijcer.486044

Baker, A. (1982). Tree or Three? Student’s book: An Elementary Pronunciation Course

(Introducing English pronunciation). Cambridge University Press.

Baker, A. (2006). Ship or Sheep? Book and Audio CD Pack: An Intermediate Pronunciation
Course (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Carr, P. (2013). English Phonetics and Phonology: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Wiley-
Blackwell.

Derwing, T. M., & Munro, M. J. (2015). Pronunciation Fundamentals: Evidence-based

perspectives for L2 teaching and research (Language Learning & Language
Teaching) (UK ed.). John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Gilakjani, A., Ahmadi, S., & Ahmadi, M. (2011). Why is Pronunciation So Difficult to
Learn? English Language Teaching, 4(3), 74–83. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v4n3p74

Henrichsen, Jenelle L., et al. (2019). The Needs Analysis, Design, Development, and
Evaluation of the ‘English Pronunciation Guide: An ESL Teachers' Guide to
Pronunciation Teaching Using Online Resources’. TESL-EJ, 22(4), 1-24. Http://Tesl-
Ej.org, 31 Jan. 2019, eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1204566.

Jenkins, Jennifer. “Which Pronunciation Norms and Models for English as an International
Language?” ELT Journal, vol. 52, no. 2, 1998, pp. 119–126.,
doi:10.1093/elt/52.2.119.

Jenkins, J. (2000). The Phonology of English as an International Language (Oxford Applied

Linguistics) (1st ed.). Oxford University Press.

Kelly, G. (2000). How To Teach Pronunciation (Book with Audio CD) (1st ed.). Longman.

53
Kirkova-Naskova, A. (2019). Second language pronunciation: A Summary of Teaching
Techniques. Journal for Foreign Languages, 11(1), 119–136.
https://doi.org/10.4312/vestnik.11.119-136

Levis, J. M. (2005). Changing Contexts and Shifting Paradigms in Pronunciation Teaching.

TESOL Quarterly, 39(3), 369. https://doi.org/10.2307/3588485

Marks, J. (2007). English Pronunciation in Use, Self-Study and classroom use. Cambridge
University Press.

Roach, P. (1991). English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge University Press.

Ur, P. (2012). A Course in English Language Teaching (2nd ed.). Cambridge University
Press.

Electronic sources

English listening skills practice | LearnEnglish Teens - British Council. (n.d.). British
Council. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from
https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/listening

Quizlet. (n.d.). Quizlet. Retrieved April 18, 2021, from https://quizlet.com/

Welcome back to Kahoot! for schools. (n.d.). Kahoot! Retrieved April 18, 2021, from

https://kahoot.com/schools-u/

54
Appendices
Appendix 1 Common weak forms in English
List of common weak forms in English (based on Kelly, 2000, p. 74).

Grammatical Full Weak Grammatical Full Weak

category Word form form category Word form form
Verbs can kæn kən Prepositions than ðæn ðən
could kʊd kəd at æt ət
have hæv əv, v for fɔː fə
həz, əz,
has hæz z from fɹɒm frəm
həd, əd,
had hæd d of ɒv əv, v
will wɪl l to tuː tə, tʊ
should ʃʊd ʃəd there ðɛə ðə
do duː də Conjunctions and ænd ənd, ən
does dʌz dəz but bʌt bət
am æm əm, m that ðæt ðət
are ɑː ə Articles the ðiː ðɪ, ðə
was wɒz wəz a/an eɪ, æn ə, ən
were wɜː wə Indefinite any eniː əniː, niː
Adjectives
been biːn bɪn some sʌm səm
Pronouns his hɪz ɪz such sʌtʃ sətʃ
him hɪm ɪm
her hɜː hə, ə
you juː jʊ, jə
your jɔː jə
she ʃiː ʃɪ
he hiː ɪ
we wiː wɪ
them ðem ðəm, əm
us ʌs əs, s
Table 18 List of common weak forms in English

55
Appendix 2 Questionnaire for lower secondary ESL teachers

56
57
58
59
Appendix 3 Texts for students’ recordings

Text 1

Veronica Adams is getting ready to go to Missy Smith’s surprise birthday party. Guests are
supposed to arrive by 11:45. Veronica just washed her hair. It takes Veronica 15 minutes to
dry and style her lovely locks and another 5 minutes to tie ribbons exactly perfect on the
ends of her braids. Veronica can dress in 10 minutes. That is, if her clothes are already
ironed. Today she has to iron her skirt and shirt herself or go to the party with wrinkled
clothes. Bobby is picking Veronica up at 11:30 to walk her to the party. Bobby does not like
to be late for surprise parties. Veronica does not like to wear wrinkled clothes.

Text 2

It is Saturday. Pedro is performing in the school Spring Fest concert tonight at 7:30. He is
very excited. Pedro woke up at 6 o’clock in the morning to begin getting ready for the big
event. First, he brushed his teeth, dressed, and then he ate a healthy breakfast of fruit,
oatmeal, and milk. After making his bed and having a pillow-fight with his sister Maria,
Pedro shined his oboe. Pedro has been playing the oboe since he was 5 years old. When it
was nice and shiny, Pedro practiced his oboe for three hours. Then he went outside to play
with his friends. After lunch, Pedro took a little nap in the backyard hammock. At 6:30 the
family drove to school so Pedro could warm up for the concert.

Text 3

Buffalo Bill was a famous American from the Old West. His real name was William
Frederick Cody. Buffalo Bill was an American guide, scout, and showman. He also was a
rider for the Pony Express when it was established in 1860, and at the beginning of the
American Civil War, Buffalo Bill was a scout and guide for the Union army. In 1863, he
enlisted in the Seventh Kansas Cavalry as an army scout. At the close of the war he
contracted with the Kansas Pacific Railroad to feed buffalo meat to the workers on the line.
That’s how he earned his nickname.

Text 4

Track and field events are the oldest of all organized sports. The first organized meets
recorded in history were the Olympic Games. The Greeks held the first Olympic Games in
776 B.C. For many years the only Olympian competition was the pentathlon. Athletes
competed in discus and javelin throwing, foot racing, broad jumping, and wrestling. Other
contests, including foot races for men wearing full armour, were later added to the list of
track and field events.

60
Text 5

Everyone needs a good night’s sleep. Sleep gives the body a chance to heal and refresh itself.
A proper amount of sleep can give you a better mental attitude and also help your mind be
more alert. Sleep restores your energy source and allows you to perform better in physical
activities. Doctors recommend that children get 9–12 hours of sleep every night.

Text 6

Jake is the strongest kid in the fourth grade. He can lift two lunch tables at the same time.
That’s a lunch table complete with lunches. Jake trains hard to keep his strength up. Every
day he goes to the gym and exercises his muscles. Jake’s goal is to be the strongest boy in
the world. At the moment he is considered the second strongest boy in the world.

Text 7

Chocolate milk is easy and fun to make. It is also yummy to drink! First pour yourself a glass
or cup of milk. You may use whole milk, low fat, or skim. Then choose your favourite drink
mix. Some come as powder and others are liquid. Measure the correct amount of chocolate
onto a spoon and stir it into your milk. Lick the spoon and drink! Chocolate milk can be
served cold or hot.

61
Appendix 4 Worksheet “Vowels /ʌ/ and /ɑː/” for in-class studying
and training
Based on Baker (2006, pp 19 – 26), Baker (1982, pp 41 – 45), Marks (2007, pp 16 – 17)

VOWELS /ɑː/ and /ʌ/

How to make sound /ɑː/

/ɑː/ is a long sound. Open your mouth
wide.

Sound and spelling

▪ /ɑː/is usually spelled a or ar: after, afternoon, ask, answer, bath, can’t, class,
dance, fast, father, glass, bar, car, card, far, park, star, start, banana, garden,
last
▪ other ways: laugh, aunt, heart

Note: The name of the letter R is pronounced /ɑː/ or /ɑːr/.

Note: The word are is often pronounced /ɑː/ or /ɑːr/.

Sentences to listen and repeat:

1 How far is the car park?

2 We went to a large bar full of film stars.
3 We’re starting in half an hour.
4 I’ll ask my aunt.
5 I left my glasses in the bathroom.

How to make sound /ʌ/

/ʌ/ is a short sound. Open your mouth wide.

Sound and spelling

▪ /ʌ/ is usually spelled u, but sometimes ou or o: bus, colour, come, cup, front,
London, luck, Monday, month, mother, much, nothing, number, run, study,
sun, uncle, under, up, hungry, money, enough, cousin, doesn’t

Note: The words sun and son have the same pronunciation.
Note: The number one is pronounced /wʌn/.

62
Sentences to listen and repeat:

1 Good luck with your exam next month!

2 Take the number one bus.
3 I said “Come on Monday” not “Come on Sunday”.
4 My brother’s studying in London.
5 big business

Minimal pairs

63
64
Additional exercises

65
Appendix 5 Using Google Sheets in ESL lesson
Lesson based on differences between spelling and pronunciation of words with a
focus on English vowels. Google Sheets were used for explanation, example, group
and individual work, assessing and final feedback.

LETTERS
a class happy father have cat always arrive what
e the pen desk fresh
i dinner girl right spider swim
y seventy fly
o blue morning October popular work go sorry phone
u bus turn student full sugar book year beer
say fuel boy pain wear town oil new
heart loud dear people toilet see school
sister chair house team does argue bear

66
Appendix 6 Using Google Jamboard in ESL lesson
This is another lesson based on identifying sounds, focused on English vowels with
use of Google Jamboard application. Jamboard is highly interactive application
where students can move objects and match them freely. Students also respond
verbally and peer feedback is possible.

67
Appendix 7 Giving feedback
Using Google Sheets for giving feedback is simple for both, a teachers and students.
As these documents are shared on Google Drive, they are saved automatically and
provide a friendly environment enabling comments without sending files elsewhere.

68
Appendix 8 Group discussions - preparation
Shared documents and breakout rooms are helpful for online group work where
students discuss given topic. Here is an example of written assignment which served
as a preparation for discussion that followed. Team Winter and Team Summer
discussed what season of the year is the best.

69
Appendix 9 Online Quizzes on Quizlet
Here is an example of Quizlet test focused on fixing the sounds of English.

70
71
Appendix 10 Kahoot games
This is an example question in a Kahoot game aimed for training word stress. Kahoot
quizzes are focused on accuracy and speed.

72