Students smarter than teachers? Gen Z EFL student perceptions of English pronunciation learning and teaching
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21283/2376905X.1.12.2.3423Keywords:
pronunciation teaching, extramural English, non-native English teachers, Gen Z, informal language learning, accentednessAbstract
Generation Z L2 learners, who are immersed in English audiovisual content from an early age, might feel more comfortable with the pronunciation of English than their Generation X or Millennial non-native EFL teachers. This paper explores how Gen Z L2 learners in Northeastern Europe use English extramurally, how they rate their own and their teachers’ English pronunciation, and whether they aspire to sound native-like. The data was collected from 140 college-level first year students through questionnaires and interviews. The main findings are that, first, Gen Z students rate their own pronunciation as fairly advanced, reporting extramural English as a greater influence than their English teachers’ input, and second, view their non-native English teachers’ pronunciation as less native-like than their own, yet generally rate their teachers as acceptable models of English pronunciation. Consequently, this paper proposes that Gen Z students might benefit from an alternative type of pronunciation teaching.
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