A study to Evaluate the Problems Faced by the Students in Pronouncing English Consonants at Secondary Level in Tehsil Hazro, District Attock

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the problems faced by the students in pronouncing English consonants at secondary level in Tehsil Hazro District Attock. The focus on consonants was due to their mostly misarticulating among non- native speakers. It often caused from phonological interference, lack of phonetic knowledge and insufficient instructional support. The main objectives of this research were to explore the difficulties faced by the students in pronouncing English consonants, to highlight the factors that affect the pronunciation directly or indirectly and propose pedagogical interventions.

The research method of this study was mixed-method approach. Quantitative data was collected with the help of diagnostic pronunciation test which was administered to 120 students from four public boys’ school in tehsil Hazro by using simple random sampling technique. The obtained data was tabulated by using percentage. The test was consist on minimal pairs and consonant clusters mostly created problems in Pakistani contexts, such as /θ/ vs. /t/, /ʃ/vs. /s/, and final consonant sounds. Qualitative data was collected through semi- structured interviews of 15 English teachers in order to gain insight classroom environment, teaching challenges and student’s phonetic awareness.

Major findings and conclusion of the study were that native language had deep impact over the pronunciation of the second language learners, on the basis of the analysis of data it was concluded that mother tongue interference in learning and speaking a foreign language. It is therefore recommended that the text books along with phonetic transcription may be incorporated in the student’s and teacher’s training programs.

Keywords: English Pronunciation, Consonant Sounds, Secondary School Students, Pronunciation Problems, Tehsil Hazro (District Attock)