UNIVERSIDAD AUTÓNOMA DE SANTO DOMINGO

Human Sciences Faculty - Post-Grade Studies Division

Languages School

Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics on English Teaching

Practical Phonetics Teaching

Dr. Hugo Santana

Final Task:
Research

Submitted by:
Leidy De la Cruz
Diorka Linette Mendoza

Date:
Junio, 2021
San Pedro De Macorís, Dom. Rep.
Spanish-speaking English learners´ perception of Explicit
Instructions of Phonetics
 Content

Chapter I: General Introductory Aspects

1.1. Statement of the problem......................................................................................................1

1.1.1 Research Questions 4 Questions:........................................................................................2

1.2 Research objectives...............................................................................................................3

1.2.1 General................................................................................................................................3

1.2.2 Specific...............................................................................................................................3

1.3 Justification............................................................................................................................3

1.4 Operation of variables............................................................................................................5

Chapter II: Review of the literature

Chapter III: Methodological Framework

3.1 Type of research and approach............................................................................................13

3.2 Population and sample.........................................................................................................13

3.3 Instruments and techniques for data collection...................................................................13

3.4 Procedures............................................................................................................................14

Chapter IV: Presentation, discussion and interpretation of results

Analysis of the Results..............................................................................................................15

Conclusion................................................................................................................................23

Recommendation.....................................................................................................................25

References.................................................................................................................................26

Appendix...................................................................................................................................28
 1

Chapter I: General Introductory Aspects

1.1. Statement of the problem

The teaching of foreign languages has undergone great changes in recent years.

Didactic renewal, which has been reflected in the development of the communicative

approach, the first to establish learning objectives aimed at oral and written communicative

competence.

Although language teaching has improved, students still have difficulties expressing

themselves and understanding native speakers, especially when their contact with the foreign

language is reduced to three hours of class per week. These difficulties could be related to the

nature of formal learning, specifically in the instruction of pronunciation aspects like

phonetics.

As teachers we are concerned about this contrast in the domain of the various skills;

Improving the results in the domain of oral skills and matching them to the written ones seems

essential to us to continue advancing in the didactics of the foreign language. We are

convinced that achieving better results in oral language, seen from both production and

perception, depends directly on a change in the teaching of pronunciation.

Faced with this, the current trend in the educational field of foreign languages is to

give greater emphasis to phonetics as it is considered a fundamental part of language teaching.

Despite the advances and innovations that have occurred in foreign language teaching, it is

believed that pronunciation continues to be neglected and that it does not receive adequate

treatment (Kirkova-Naskova, 2019). This is partly due to the fact that teachers do not know

how to integrate the teaching of pronunciation into the communicative approach or the most

recent task-based approach, because, on the one hand, they lack materials and there have been
 2

no proposals to integrate the pronunciation in these approaches and, on the other hand,

manuals and existing activities do not separate pronunciation from phonetic correction and,

therefore, its integration into the communicative class is impossible and it can only be

presented as an annex or appendix that does not bear any relation to the development, content

and focus of the classes. Consequently, pronunciation remains the pending subject of foreign

language teaching.

The above mentioned raises interest in determining how students perceive the

instruction of phonetics in their english class in order to identify areas of improvement in the

subject.

1.1.1 Research Questions 4 Questions:

1- What factors affect the correct pronunciation of Spanish-speaking English learners?

2- Which strategies does the literature suggest to teach effectively phonetic to Spanish-

speaking students?

3- ow does explicit phonetic instruction influences the oral proficiency on Spanish-

speaking students

4- What is the importance of instruction in phonetic and phonemic distinctions in sounds

on the pronunciation of Spanish-speaking ESL learners?

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1.2 Research objectives

1.2.1 General

 Determine the perception of Spanish-speaking English learners in explicit phonetic

instructions.

1.2.2 Specific

1. Identify factors that students think affect the improvement of pronunciation in their

English lessons.

2. Enlist strategies used to teach phonetic to Spanish-speaking students

3. Determine the effect of explicit phonetic instruction on the oral proficiency on

Spanish-speaking students.

4. Pinpoint the importance of explicit instruction about sounds distinctions on the

pronunciation of Spanish-speaking ESL learners.

1.3 Justification

In all areas and social spheres, the English language has taken on great importance in

such a way that it has been called the international language par excellence. Regarding your

teaching, the sound of the words is very important if you want to establish good

communication.

One of the most prominent characteristics of English as a second language is

pronunciation. English as a second language learners tend to transfer all knowledge of sounds

in their native language to English as a second language. This phenomenon contributes to the

perception of the foreign accent and, as a result, can decrease the intelligibility or

understandability of speech. Whether it is necessary or desirable to speak a second language

with native-like precision is often a personal choice; What is clear, however, is that certain
 4

communication errors can occur due to lack of phonological awareness in second language

learning.

Therefore, knowing the perception that English students have in the explicit

instructions of phonetics is relevant, since the information that phonetics offers to students is

essential for them to understand any conversation or instruction in English and not have the

barrier that supposes a bad pronunciation and they can get to feel insecure when speaking in

this language. The results of this research could serve as input to make pertinent adjustments

in the educational curriculum, which allow the implementation of the teaching of phonetics

and pronunciation as a compulsory and non-elective subject for students of English as a

second language from the very beginning of their studies. studies, and thus strengthen the

linguistic bases.
 5

1.4 Operation of variables

Population
Specific objectives Techniques Responsible Materials
of studio
Identify factors that Leidy De la Closed
students think affect the Cruz question
improvement of Comments guide
pronunciation in their Diorka Linette 15 studens
English lessons. Mendoza

Enlist strategies used to Interview Leidy De la 15 studens Closed

teach phonetic to Cruz question
Spanish-speaking guide
students Diorka Linette
Mendoza

Determine the effect of Leidy De la 15 studens Closed

explicit phonetic Cruz question
instruction on the oral guide
proficiency on Spanish- Diorka Linette
speaking students. Mendoza

Pinpoint the importance Leidy De la 15 studens Closed

of explicit instruction Cruz question
about sounds distinctions guide
on the pronunciation of Diorka Linette
Spanish-speaking ESL Mendoza
learners.
 6

Chapter II: Review of the literature

The extent to which explicit phonetic instruction helps learners improve their L2

pronunciation is still an empirical question. Although a lot of second language acquisition

(SLA) research has been conducted on L2 speech learning, very little has been applied to

explicit phonetic instructions for L2 adult learners. One of the real challenges is to bridge the

gap between theory and practice, given the disconnection between research in L2 phonetics

and the real practices in the ESL classroom. (Hamzah, 2014).

With regard to explicitness of L2 learning, many SLA theorists argued that the first

step for effective instruction is to have learners to become consciously aware of formal rules

of the target language features, because the metalinguistic awareness is central to

interlanguage development (Schmidt, 2001). In this respect, (Dekeyser, 2003) emphasised the

importance of explicit instruction option, which is defined as follows: “An instructional

treatment is explicit if rule explanation forms part of the instruction (deduction) or if learners

are asked to attend to particular forms and try to find the rules themselves s (induction)”.

James Flege’s Speech Learning Model (SLM) claims that target-like perception of the

L2 is a necessary precursor to target-like production. This claim is based on a wealth of

empirical research linking perception to production in many different language pairs (M.,

2005); (Newman, 2012). The SLM posits that to fully acquire L2 sounds learners must first

discern subtle phonetic differences between L2 sounds and analogous sounds in the L1 as they

occur in a variety of phonetic environments, at which point learners can create new phonetic

categories for L2 sounds and then finally produce the L2 sounds in target-like ways (Flege,

1995) Though there is some evidence inconsistent with the predictions of the SLM, namely

that learners may produce contrasts they cannot perceive and may demonstrate different

acquisitional patterns in the perceptive and productive modes , still the SLM is the model most
 7

commonly used in research on adult, instructed L2 speech, and it motivates the methodology

of the present study.

Other perception-based models also assert that perception underlies production

(Munro, 2008) They characterize the nature of the link in different ways, but stated in general

terms, some attentional detection (perception) is thought to be necessary for further processing

and storage in long-term memory which, in turn, contains the phonological knowledge used

for production.

Several investigations of the effect of phonetics instruction in the context of the current

study, adult Spanish FL, report generally positive results. These studies, detailed in Table 1,

find that learners improve their production of some difficult Spanish phones after receiving

phonetics instruction, but none addresses perception. One Spanish FL study to date has

measured changes in perception after phonetics instruction and reports that learners are better

able to detect non-target-like realizations of some Spanish phones, but not of the stops /p, t,

k/ . Clearly much more research is needed to better understand the impact that phonetics

instruction might have on Spanish FL learners’ perception. The present study aimed to do just

that. The research question was: Does instruction in L2 phonetics improve learners’ ability to

perceive the acoustic differences between L2 phones and their analogous L1 phones? Rather

than investigate learners’ perception of L2 contrasts, in this study a bilingual discrimination

task paired Spanish phones with analogous English phones, because the Speech Learning

Model predicts that a necessary first stage in L2 speech acquisition is being able to discern the

subtle phonetic differences between these pairs (Kissling, 2012).

It seems particularly relevant to question the effectiveness of explicit instruction in

phonetics because it is precisely this element of pronunciation instruction that is least

appealing to those who view it as overly form-focused and in opposition to their

 8

communicative, meaning-focused methodology and argue that pronunciation instruction

needs to be better integrated into communicative activities (T., 2009).Alternatives for bringing

learners’ attention to the L2 sound system, perhaps through targeted exposure, focused

listening, dictation, transcription, or other means, should be explored and weighed against the

potential benefits of explicit phonetics instruction, (Kissling, 2013).

The teaching of English phonetics should be improved through the integration of

varied strategies. Although there has been a great deal of research on communication

strategies, the studies have not dealt with L2 pronunciation per se, but rather they have

concentrated on speaking in general. However, some of the strategies that appear in most

taxonomies are relevant to pronunciation, most particularly paraphrase (approximation,

circumlocution, and word coinage). Not only have these strategies been linked with

communicative success in several studies found that instruction in paraphrase results in the use

of a greater range of paraphrase types, that is, instructed L2 students were able to access

significantly more alternatives than participants in a control group. Despite the attention

devoted to learner strategies in recent years, few commercial pronunciation textbooks include

instruction on the development of achievement strategies to facilitate successful

communication. (Tracey M. Derwing, 2001).

Pronunciation is an integral part of foreign language learning since it directly affects

learners' communicative competence as well as performance. Limited pronunciation skills can

decrease learners’ self-confidence, restrict social interactions, and negatively affect

estimations of a speaker’s credibility and abilities. The current focus on communicative

approaches to EFL pronunciation learning and the concern for building communication skills

are renewing interest in the role that pronunciation plays in EFL learners’ overall
 9

communicative competence. These strategies can help learners develop pronunciation goals

and check their progress toward achieving those goals (Gilakjani, 2012):

1. Make Learners Aware of Prosodic Features of Language: Teachers should include

prosodic training in instruction and They might begin with listening activities.

2. Focus on Word Stress: Lead perception exercises on duration of stress, loudness of

stress, and pitch. These exercises will help learners recognize the difference between stressed

and unstressed syllables.

3. Focus on Unstressed Syllables: Use function words. Introduce weak forms through

the grammatical category of function words, such as articles, pronouns, auxiliary verbs, and

prepositions. Allow learners to practice using weak forms in conversations in order to simulate

real-life speech encounters.

4. Focus on Developing Learners’ Communicative Competence: Communicative

competence is the aim of pronunciation teaching and learning, is necessary for meaningful

communicative tasks in the language classroom, including those that focus on pronunciation.

Pronunciation exercises that relate to daily use of English include role-plays of requests that

learners have to make. (Gilakjani, 2012).

Improving the students’ English pronunciation highly depends on the chosen teaching

strategies, i.e. the teaching plan adopted by the instructor in order to achieve his/ her goal. The

strategies employed for teaching are: topic introduction; brainstorming; presentation and

discussion of the topic, both deductively and inductively; controlled practice: listening to

recordings of native speakers in order to get the meaning, the correct pronunciation of sounds,

the stress, rhythm and intonation; repetition; drills; reading aloud; role-plays; recording

students’ pronunciation;semi-controlled practice: fill-the-gap and matching exercises, semi-

controlled dialogues; free practice: conversations, debates, problem solving situations,

 10

students’ PowerPoint presentations on certain topics in which the taught information is used;

self-, peer-, teacher-assessment. (Şimon, 2014).

The followings are the techniques that are used in the research-based approach for

pronunciation instruction. I would like to put them in a table format for illustration purposes.

Techniques used for pronunciation instruction in (Robin C.Scarcella, 1994); (Wei, 2006).

Techniques Contents

Self-monitoring Students can learn to self monitor their

pronunciation to improve their intelligibility.

Tutorial Sessions and Self-Study These begin with a diagnostic analysis of each
student’s spoken English and an individualized
program is designed for each student.

Modeling and Individual Correction Report the results of analyses of student speech
sample individually.

Communication Activities Design activities for the students to practice

specific sounds.

Written Versions of Oral Presentations In the more advanced levels, students can be
given strategies for analyzing the written
versions of their oral presentations.

Computer-Assisted Language Learning Teachers can use visual displays of speech

patterns to teach intonation, stress, and sounds
to individuals and small groups of students.

Explanations Explanations of how to produce sounds or use

pronunciation patterns appropriately should be
kept to a minimum though directions about
what to do with the vocal organs can help some
students in some circumstances.

Utilization of Known Sounds Comparisons with the students’ first language

may help some students to produce a second
language pattern.

Incorporation of Novel Elements Using novel elements with the use of directions.

Communication Strategies Students can be taught some useful

communication strategies which will help them
give the impression that their pronunciation is
better than it really is. The communication
strategies are retrieval strategies, rehearsal
 11

strategies, cover strategies, and

“communication” strategies.

Affective Strategies A number of excellent affective strategies can

be taught to help learners lower their anxieties
and gain confidence.

The relationship between phonological training and literacy in an orthographic system

is not totally dependent, but reciprocal. Even highly experienced L2 learners may produce

pronunciation errors in L2 because of phonological interference from their L1. However,

training in the perception in production segmental and suprasegmental aspects of L2, that is,

phonetic training is one of the factors that affects L2 learners' pronunciation. Positive impact

on language learning is a natural byproduct of cooperative learning. The learner's positive

outcome seems to support the interaction hypothesis, which proposed that target use in

interaction facilitates language acquisition, (Chen, 2009).

Whether it is necessary or desirable to speak a second language with native-like

accuracy is often a personal choice; what is clear, however, is that certain miscommunications

may occur due to lack of phonological awareness in the second language. Language learners

must develop concern and awareness for pronunciation because unintelligible speech resulting

from inadequate phonological accuracy causes mutual frustration and unpleasantness for both

listeners and speakers. In related studies, (Gravois, 2005) pointed out instances of

miscommunication and unintelligibility resulting from inadequate phonological awareness of

nonnative English-speaking instructors. To avoid such instances, the second language learner

must be able to identify and use the linguistically significant phonemes of the language

appropriately. (Chen H. Y., 2010).

 12

However, results of studies investigating the effects of these factors on second

language learners pronunciation are not anonymous with respect to age being a crucial factor

in second language acquisition, acquiring a second language in early childhood can result in

native-like second language pronunciation, this study showing that late starters cannot achieve

native-like pronunciation. (Chen, 2010).

Chapter III: Methodological Framework

3.1 Type of research and approach

This is an exploratory work based on a mixed approach that seeks to collect data to

demonstrate the reality of college students with regard to the instruction of phonetics in their
 13

English Class. By a quantitative approach, data about the strategies used to expose learners to

phonemic features will be recorded. Moreover, this method will serve as a means to identify

the frequency in which stated strategies are integrated in class.

3.2 Population and sample

The group targeted to carry out this research is the group enrolled in English

Immersion Program in the period 2021. Two out of the four centers that carry out the program

in San Pedro will participate in the survey, which gives us a group of 300 students and 8

teachers across the two centers. A representative sample will be chosen based on Laura

Fischer’s formula which determines that the right number of students participating in this

project should be 170. This was obtained after doing the operation with a 95% of feasibility, a

5% margin of error, and probability divided in 50%. All the teachers active in the program will

participate in the survey.

Due to conditions of the health emergency due to Covid-19, social distancing has to be

maintained, so we only apply the question guide to 15 students.

3.3 Instruments and techniques for data collection

The research will be conducted by conducting a closed-question guide to students in

order to learn their thoughts on how phonetics is approached in their study centers and their

feelings toward the activities listed. The answers will be recorded in a google form that had

been designed based on the variables of this study.

 14

3.4 Procedures

Once the data has been collected, it will be processed in a spreadsheet in order to

classify answers based on similarities and discrepancies among participants with regard to the

variables and indicators of this study.

 15

Chapter IV: Presentation, discussion and interpretation of results

Analysis of the Results

Below are the results of the applied survey, for Determine the perception of Spanish-

speaking English learners in explicit phonetic instructions.

Table no. 1: Sex

Answers Fr. %
a) Male 11 70 %
b) Female 4 30 %
Total 15 100

According to the analysis of the data obtained, 30% of the interviewees are female and

70% are male. These results indicate that the students of the polytechnics surveyed are mostly

male.

Table no. 2: Age

Answers Fr. %
a) 12 a 16 a 8 50%
b) 16 a 18 8 50%
c) 18 or more 0 0%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

The table shows that half of the people interviewed are 16 and 18 years old and the

other half 12 to 16 years old, which represents a segmentation of very different ages, therefore

these ages understand if they have difficulties in learning the English language and be able to

say what the needs are to improve this situation and thus young people learn this second

language faster.
 16

Table no. 3: Nationality

Answers Fr. %

a) Dominican 15 100%

b) Haitian 0 00%

c) Other 0 0%

Total 15 100

Source: Own elaboration correspondiente a la Table 3

The nationality of the students surveyed is 100% Dominican. This question was

important to ask, since in our country currently many nationalities of people who emigrate

looking for new ways of experiencing themselves and thus verify if nationality influences the

difficulties of both English and other languages.

Table no. 4: Level of motivation for the English language

Answers Fr. %

a) Ascending 12 80%

b) Descendant 3 20%

c) Not responding 0 0%

Total 15 100

Source: Own elaboration

The level of motivation for learning the English language of the students surveyed is

80% upward and 20% descendant. Here it is indicated that the factors that most affect the lack

of motivation to learn of the students surveyed are, in the first place, the lack of understanding

of this language, as well as influencing place is the teaching method of the teacher, indicated

by the remaining 48%.

 17

Table no. 5: Motivation factors for learning English

Answers Fr. %

a) Lack of understanding of the language 2 10%

b) Method of teaching the teacher 13 90%

Total 15 100

Source: Own elaboration

Among the factors are with a 10% lack of understanding of the language and 90%

teaching method of the teacher. The teacher must offer the students the didactic scientific

organization of the process of conscious knowledge explaining the purposes and tasks of the

work to be carried out, the ways to carry it out and, thus, to arouse the interest and attention of

students to realize the principle of conscious assimilation it is necessary to stimulate mental

activity in the teaching process.

Table no. 6: Opinion on teaching materials

Answers Fr. %
a) Yess 0 0%
b) A litte 13 90%
c) Not 2 10%
d) Does not respond 0 0%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

The opinion that respondents have of the teaching materials used by teachers, is with

90% little and 10% say that they are not used. The use of resources incorporated into good

teaching practices can have good potential to improve the understanding of concepts; to

develop skills and abilities.

 18

Table no. 7: Consideration of learning techniques.

Answers Fr. %
a) Yess 3 20%
b) A litte 9 60%
c) Not 3 20%
d) Does not respond 0 0%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

The consideration that the students according to the data thrown are with a 20% says

yes, the 60% a little and the remaining 20% says no. It is necessary that the teacher can create

in the classroom an atmosphere that invites everyone to investigate, to learn, to build their

learning, and not just to follow what he does or says. The role of the teacher is not only to

provide information and control discipline, but to be a mediator between the student and the

environment.

Table no. 8: Importance of the environment

Answers Fr. %
a) Yess 5 30%
b) Not 11 70%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

The importance of the environment according to the data is with 30% consider it

important and 70% say that it does not. As for the environment that is reflected with its

students are the recovery of knowledge, play, as well as debates, socialization, group work

among others. However, the strategies that give them the most results are the innovative ones,

solving complications, the game among others. Also sharing knowledge, problem solving,

cognitive strategies
 19

Table no. 9: Consideration of evaluation techniques

Answers Fr. %
a) Excellent 3 17%
b) Very good 5 32%
c) Good 3 17%
d) Acceptable 5 32%
e) Deficient 0 0%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

Students surveyed consider the techniques the teacher uses for classroom assessment to

be excellent, 17% say it is excellent, 32% say it is very good, 17% say they accept them and

the remaining 32% say they are deficient. Educational evaluation is a central element within

the field of English teaching, it can focus on a technical conception of educational processes,

within which are the verification of the achievement of the objectives of the contents offered,

as well as the verification of the acquisition of the theoretical approaches granted by the

teacher.

Table no. 10 Use of multimedia resources

Answers Fr. %
a) Yess 0 0%
b) A litte 6 45%
c) Not 6 40%
d) Does not respond 3 20%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

Within multimedia resources students say that teachers use it only a little with 45%,

40% say no and 20% do not respond. The integration of technological resources into the

school curriculum is a gradual process that is linked to several factors the technological

resources themselves; the availability and correct use of appropriate digital content; the

pedagogical proposal; the technological competence of educators; the administrative and

technical support offered by the educational institution.

 20

Table no. 11: Using devices

Answers Fr. %
a) Yess 12 80%
b) A litte 3 20%
c) Not 0 0%
d) Does not respond 0 0%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

The use of devices in the classroom is with 80% affirmative and 20% say no. The use

of mobile devices in the classroom is becoming more widespread. These elements offer great

advantages from the didactics in the different areas, in the particular case of learning a second

language expands the vocabulary and allows the teacher to generate new strategies to

implement in their classes.

Table no. 12: Encouraging participation in classes

Answers Fr. %
a) Always 0 0%
b) Frequently 3 40%
c) Sometimes 6 20%
d) Never 3 40%
Total 15 100
Source: Own elaboration

In encouraging class participation, 40% say frequently, 20% say sometimes and the

remaining 40% say never. Student participation in class is critical and has multiple benefits.
 21

Table no. 13: Consideration of Class Hours Extension

Answers Fr. %

a) Yess 8 50%

b) Maybe 8 50%

c) Not 0 0%

Total 15 100

Source: Own elaboration

The students surveyed consider that the extension of class hours is with 50% if and the

remaining 50% with 50%. Learning a language is something that really requires a lot of

involvement towards a culture, and a lot of practice.

Table no. 14: Consideration of available English levels

Answers Fr. %

a) Yess 11 70%

b) Not 5 30%

Total 15 100

Source: Own elaboration

The consideration on the levels of English available is with 70% yes and 30% say no.

Some English level systems are integrated into a particular English exam, while others consist

of theoretical frameworks that have no associated exam.

 22

Table no. 14: Consideration of factors that prevent english learning

Answers Fr. %

a) Professional quality 0 0%

b) Resources for evaluation 0 0%

c) How to evaluate 6 40%

d) The state structure of the classrooms 6 40%

Lack of laboratory 3 20%

Total 15 100

Source: Own elaboration

As for the factors that prevent the learning of the English language in the students

surveyed is with 40% the way to evaluate, 40% the state of the structure of the classrooms and

the remaining 20% the lack of laboratory.

 23

Conclusion

The purpose of learning foreign languages is to contribute to the integral formation of

the individual, this implies that he will be able to communicate in any circumstance of daily

life. It will also contribute to forming a critical, autonomous and respectful subject of plurality,

capable of appreciating other cultures while strengthening one's own; it should also assess the

importance of the acquisition of foreign languages in broadening its socio-cultural horizon.

The teaching and learning process of English has undergone enormous modifications

in the last twenty years, especially in the early nineties due to the inclusion of Information and

Communication Technologies (ICT's) for its teaching, possibly it will be necessary to design a

special didactics for its use and application to the teaching of English.

Teachers of foreign languages must have a good command of the language they will

use as a vehicle for instruction. On the other hand, it is very advantageous that the teacher also

has a good command of the first language of the students, since he will have to assess the

linguistic difficulties that the students may have.

The English language has become a necessity for those who do not master it, as it

becomes more important every day in the world of work and in daily life. In the country for

decades this language has been given a lot of value, so much so that there are companies that

require its management to fill their vacancies and the centers or training programs is quite

what can be said, since methods are constantly created and spaces are enabled so that

Dominicans do not have excuses to learn English.

The socio-economic reality of the students is very humble since the sources of work

are very limited, the students who attend this center are from families of scarce economic

resources, approximately seven percent of the population does not have any academic degree,

not even primary studies which makes education more difficult in the students.
 24

The teacher must assume a role of facilitator and guide but must also feed back and

encourage their students and see that their thinking is evolving, always trying to stimulate and

develop logical reasoning. It should encourage exploration and research, arouse curiosity,

expose them to different points of view by encouraging them to make their own decisions. In

short, you should try to create habits of thought, predisposing them to research and discovery.

As far as English is concerned, the fundamental problem in our province is the lack of

teacher training in some areas. It would be convenient for the applicability of this educational

project, to make a survey and study the feasibility of teaching English throughout the territory,

even in the most remote regions.

 25

Recommendation

To students

1. Take advantage of the time, paying attention to their classes, clarifying aspects that they do

not understand about the tasks, practicing the languages under study with their teachers and

peers.

2. Take time out, be it at work the home to study, focusing more on the quality of time than on

the quantity.

To teachers

1. Propose didactic methodologies aligned to the characteristics of the current student body,

which entails more work in the classroom and the complementary use of Information and

Communication Technologies (ICTs).

2. Update in the use of technological and multimedia resources, in order to maintain

motivation in classes with means that the young student body likes.

English Immersion - MESCyT

1. Ensure the quality of teaching in the classroom, having a better control of the fulfillment of

the programs by the teachers and the assistance of the students.

2. Train teachers in interactive methodologies or use of electronic media in class.

 26

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language learners in a cooperative learning setting. United States.

Dekeyser, R. (2003). Implicit and explicit learning.

Flege, J. E. (1995). Second language speech learning Theory, findings and problems. New

York.

Gilakjani, A. P. (2012). A Study of Factors Affecting EFL Learners' English Pronunciation

Learning and the Strategies for Instruction. International Journal of Humanities and

Social Science.

Gravois, J. (2005). Teach impediment: when the student can´t understand the instructor.

Hamzah, M. H. (2014). THE ROLE OF EXPLICIT PHONETIC INSTRUCTION. Malaysia.

Kirkova-Naskova, A. (2019). Second language pronunciation: a summary of teaching

techniques. Journal for Foreign Languages .

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Virginia, USA.

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acoustical society of america .

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Appendix

Questionnaire for students

This instrument seeks to identify Spanish-speaking English learners’ perception about

explicit phonetics instruction during the lesson. Data collected by this means will exclusively

be used for educational purposes, guaranteeing that respondents’ information will not be

shared with 3rd parties.

Mark with an x (equis) the answer that best suits your opinion.

1. Sex:
(a) Male
(b) Female

2. Age range:
(a) 12-18 years
(b) 18 to 20 years
(c) 20 or more

3. Nationality
(a) Dominican Republic
(b) Haitian
(c) Other Which one? _________________

4. Do you feel motivated enough to learn the English language?

(a) Yes
b) A little
(c) No
(d) Not responding

5. Which of these factors do you consider to affect the lack of motivation in learning the
English language of students?
(a) Lack of understanding of the language
(b) Method of teaching the teacher

6. Do you believe that the teaching materials used for teaching the English language are
suitable for the learning needs of the student?
(a) Yes
b) A little
(c) No
(d) Not responding
 29

7. Do you consider that the learning techniques and strategies used by the teacher
promote motivation to study the English language?

(a) Yes
b) A little
(c) No
(d) Not responding

8. Do you think that the environment in which English is taught is appropriate to your
needs?
a) Yes Why?____________________________________________
b) No Why? ____________________________________________________

9. Consider that the assessment techniques used by your current teacher are:
a) Excellent

b) Very good
c) Good
(d) Acceptable
(e) Deficient

10. Do your teachers use multimedia resources to teach languages?

(a) Yes
b) A little
(c) No
(d) Not responding

11. Do you use devices?

(a) Yes
(b) No
(c) Very little
(d) Much

12. What could you say about the evaluation techniques your teacher uses are?:
(a) Easy to understand
b) Not so easy
c) Enrich your knowledge
d) They do not help the development of your knowledge
(e) Other

13. Does your teacher encourage participation in technology class to support your
learning in the language?
(a) Always
(b) Frequently
(c) Sometimes
(d) Never
 30

14. Do you think that the hours and days of classes of English language teaching should
be extended further?
(a) Yes
(b) Perhaps
(c) No