Date of Award
1-1-2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Second Language Studies
First Advisor
Felice Coles
Second Advisor
Tamara Warhol
Third Advisor
Vance Schaefer
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
Due to the lack of a pronunciation curriculum and materials in Saudi universities, EFL students individually select use different resources to help with their English pronunciation difficulties. Therefore, this study aims to describe (a) Saudi students' perspectives and attitudes toward pronunciation resources that may help with their pronunciation (b) if they use them to help with their weaknesses, and (c) the teachers’ perspectives on their students' pronunciation difficulties, their knowledge of the resources the universities provide, and what they use to help the students' pronunciation learning and development. This study investigates what Saudi students think they need to learn pronunciation, what aspects they see as the most difficult to overcome, and what resources they lack to help with their pronunciation difficulties. The study elicits opinions on the students' pronunciation obstacles based on their perspectives and their teachers' perspectives and what resources the teachers use to assist their students’ learning.
The study was conducted in two public Saudi institutions. The targeted participants are (1) Saudi college students studying English in their third and fourth years and (2) their English language teachers. The data was collected using two questionnaires, one for students and the other for their teachers. Students who participated in the questionnaire were interviewed to get more information once the data was gathered. After receiving the questionnaires and interview data recordings, the researcher transcribed the content of the interviews, noting recurring themes and patterns. The study's results indicated the presence of three primary themes derived from the gathered data: classroom interaction, technological engagement, and personal practice. These themes comprise a variety of resources, which include, but are not limited to, the course book, interactions with peers, the use of mobile applications and online software, as well as involvement in departmental workshops and speaking clubs. The lack of easily accessible resources for Saudi learners poses significant obstacles to developing effective pronunciation abilities. This challenge is notably attributed to the overarching academic priorities of the university, which tend to allocate relatively more emphasis towards other language skills, inadvertently limiting the attention and allocation of resources directed toward the enhancement of pronunciation proficiency.
Recommended Citation
Alzahrani, Khadija Abdullah, "Saudi Perspective on Using EFL Resources to Improve Their English Pronunciation in Saudi Public Institutions" (2023). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 2742.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/2742