Who should teach english pronunciation?: Voices of vietnamese EFL learners and teachers

Abstract

In the discussion of non-native English-speaking teachers (NNETs) versus native English-speaking teachers (NETs) in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context, strengths of NNETs in several aspects of English language teaching (ELT) have been acknowledged, thus contributing to their repositioning in the ELT profession; the same, however, cannot be said about NNETs’ status in the field of English pronunciation teaching. This paper reports on an investigation into Vietnamese EFL teachers’ and learners’ perspectives of who should teach English pronunciation. Data was collected from students via surveys and focus- groups, and from 10 Vietnam teachers of English via interviews and classroom observation. The data was coded and analysed thematically. The study found that while most Vietnamese teachers were ambivalent about their competence as teachers of English pronunciation, learners were able to articulate their views about who and what helped them to improve this aspect of their English. The findings also indicate that learners’ level of English proficiency had a significant influence on their views of whether a NET or a NNET was more beneficial for their learning.