It is a fact that Spanish people tend to have problems with English pronunciation. These difficulties are mainly due to the many differences in the phonological systems of these two languages; moreover, in my MA dissertation, defended in 2011 at the University of Santiago de Compostela, I concluded that even Spanish students with a high level of English continue having certain problems with pronunciation, even after having been in contact with this language for over 15 years. These results served as a starting-point for the current doctoral dissertation. Thus, the main objective of this dissertation is therefore to identify the attention currently paid to pronunciation in EFL classes and teaching materials used in Spain at different levels of proficiency, more particularly, secondary, post-secondary, university and language centres.
To fulfill the aim mentioned above, I carried out two experimental studies. The first of them is based on a description and analysis of the opinions of both students and teachers regarding the importance they believe is currently given to pronunciation in their EFL classes and textbooks. Hence, I designed different questionnaires with a straightforward format, mainly of questions on a Likert scale or multiple choice items. Such questionnaires were answered by a total of 1,170 students and 254 teachers. Moreover, I interviewed 50 students so as to provide further background to certain aspects dealt with in the questionnaires. In the second study, I analysed in detail the role of pronunciation in 30 textbooks and workbooks commonly used in EFL classes at the proficiency levels previously mentioned. I took into consideration questions such as the presence of pronunciation in isolated sections or integrated within other skills, the number and type of activities present or the inclusion of theoretical tips or pieces of advice to help Spanish students in their learning process.
Generally speaking, the results obtained indicate that English pronunciation continues to be an undervalued language area in Spain and neither students nor teachers are completely satisfied with the attention paid to it in their EFL classes. Furthermore, pronunciation is disregarded in EFL textbooks addressed to Spanish students, especially if we compare it to the attention paid to grammar, vocabulary and reading: there are not many activities, most of these tasks follow a repetitive and traditional format of listen and repeat or they are based on discriminating between sounds or suprasegmental patterns in words or sentences, pronunciation tends to appear isolated from the rest of skills, there are hardly any tips or theoretical explanations to help students learn English pronunciation and these teaching materials emphasize the practicing of perceptive skills rather than productive ones. For all of these reasons, I believe that the inferior situation pronunciation has in EFL classes, according to teachers and students, as well as the little attention paid to this in textbooks are two strong reasons that may explain why Spanish students who have been in contact with English for many years still have serious difficulties with English pronunciation.
Due to all the negative results obtained in the two experimental studies conducted, at the end of my dissertation I include a remedial programme that contains a number of tasks designed so as to help Spanish students overcome their problems with English pronunciation. These activities are commonly considered motivating and engaging in language classes: songs, games, tongue twisters or the use of new technologies; moreover, these tasks integrate pronunciation within other language areas and emphasize both perceptive and productive oral skills
