Nghiên cứu điều tra khảo sát nhận thức của sinh viên năm thứ nhất về tầm quan trọng của phát âm và khó khăn của họ khi học phát âm tiếng anh

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

CÔNG THỊ VÂN

A SURVEY RESEARCH ON FRESHMEN’S PERCEPTIONS
OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PRONUNCIATION AND THEIR DIFFICULTIES
IN LEARNING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION
(Nghiên cứu điều tra khảo sát nhận thức của sinh viên năm thứ nhất
về tầm quan trọng của phát âm và khó khăn của họ khi học phát âm tiếng Anh)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60140111

HANOI – 2017


VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

CÔNG THỊ VÂN

A SURVEY RESEARCH ON FRESHMEN’S PERCEPTIONS
OF THE IMPORTANCE OF PRONUNCIATION AND THEIR DIFFICULTIES
IN LEARNING ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION
(Nghiên cứu điều tra khảo sát nhận thức của sinh viên năm thứ nhất
về tầm quan trọng của phát âm và khó khăn của họ khi học phát âm tiếng Anh)

M.A. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field : English Teaching Methodology
Code : 60140111
Supervisor: Nguyễn Huy Kỷ, Ph.D.

HANOI – 2017


CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT

I hereby certify that the thesis entitled “A Survey Research on Freshmen’s
Perceptions of the improtance of pronunciation and their difficulties in Learning
English Pronunciation” is the result of my own research for the Degree of Master
of Arts at University of Languages and International Studies – Vietnam National
University, Hanoi and that this thesis has not been submitted for any degree at any
other university or tertiary institution.
Signature

Công Thị Vân

i


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my
supervisor, Nguyễn Huy Kỷ, Ph.D., for his help as well as his useful and practical
suggestions during the period I carried out the research. If not for his valuable

guidance, encouragement and correction, my thesis would not have been
accomplished.
I am immensely grateful to the lecturers in the Faculty of Post-Graduate
Studies who gave me broad background and precious knowledge. What they taught
me is really plentiful resources for my study.
My special thanks go to all informants for their completing the survey
questionnaires and interviews.
Last but not least, I want to thank my family and my friends for their
supporting and encouraging me during the completion of this paper.
Without the enthusiastic assistance of those people, this M.A. minor thesis
could have been hardly completed.

Hanoi, 2017

ii


ABSTRACT
Pronunciation is an integral part of foreign language learning since it directly
affects learners‟ communicative competence as well as performance. However,
traditionally, little attention has been paid to learners‟ perceptions of learning
pronunciation in English as a Foreign Language context. In this thesis, a combined
qualitative and quantitative methodological approach was used to explore the
freshmen‟s awareness of the importance of pronunciation in learning English, to
find out the factors which the learners consider as their difficulties in learning
pronunciation and to get a deeper understanding of what really are the main goals of
learners in learning pronunciation. The results of the study is vital for English
teachers at Hanoi University of Industry to understand their learners‟ perceptions of
learning pronunciation, learners‟ difficulties, learners‟ goals to improve their
teaching methods in this section.

iii


TABLE OF CONTENTS
CANDIDATE’S STATEMENT ........................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................ ii
ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................. iv
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................... vi
LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... vii
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS........................................................................................................ viii
PART A. INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1
1.

Rationale ................................................................................................................................... 1

2.

Objectives of the study ............................................................................................................. 2

3.

Research questions ................................................................................................................... 3

4.

Methods of the study ................................................................................................................ 3

5.

Significance of the study .......................................................................................................... 3

6.

Scope of the study ..................................................................................................................... 4

7.

Organization of the study ........................................................................................................ 4

PART B. DEVELOPMENT ............................................................................................................ 5
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................... 5
1.1.

An overview of the previous studies ................................................................................... 5

1.2.

Goals of English pronunciation teaching and learning ..................................................... 9

1.3.

Pronunciation learning ...................................................................................................... 11

1.3.1.

Factors affecting pronunciation learning .................................................................. 11

1.3.2.

Common problems in pronunciation learning ........................................................... 12

1.4.

Pronunciation teaching and learning in Vietnam ........................................................... 13

CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................ 15
2.1.

The rationale of using the survey method ........................................................................ 15

2.2.

Description of the setting ................................................................................................... 15

2.3.

Participants ......................................................................................................................... 17

2.4.

Data collection instruments ............................................................................................... 17

2.4.1.

Questionnaires............................................................................................................. 18

2.4.2.

Semi-structured interviews .......................................................................................... 20

2.5.

Procedures of data collection ............................................................................................ 21

2.6.

Data analysis ....................................................................................................................... 22

iv


CHAPTER 3. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION ................................................... 23
3.1. Quantitative data.................................................................................................................... 23
3.1.1.

Learners’ profile.......................................................................................................... 23

3.1.2.

Learners’ perception of the importance of pronunciation in English learning ....... 25

3.1.3.

Learners’ views on English pronunciation learning ................................................. 27

3.1.4.

Learners’ goals in learning English pronunciation .................................................. 28

3.2.

Qualitative data .................................................................................................................. 30

3.2.1.

Qualitative data from questionnaires ......................................................................... 30

3.2.2.

Qualitative data from semi-structured interviews ...................................................... 31

3.3.

Discussion............................................................................................................................ 34

PART C. CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................. 38
1.

Recapitulation of the major findings .................................................................................... 38

2.

Concluding remarks drawn from the major findings......................................................... 39

3.

Limitations of the study ......................................................................................................... 39

4.

Teaching implication.............................................................................................................. 40

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................... 43
APPENDICES ................................................................................................................................... I
APPENDIX 1. QUESTIONNAIRE FOR LEARNER ................................................................... I
APPENDIX 2. QUESTIONS FOR INTERVIEWS .................................................................... VII

v


LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Time of learning English ........................................................................23
Figure 2. Frequency of using English ....................................................................24
Figure 3. English level of informants ....................................................................24
Figure 4. Learners’ proficiency level of English pronunciation .........................25
Figure 5. The amount of information which learners can get ............................27
Figure 6. Learners’ views on aspect which has most influence to
communication ........................................................................................................27
Figure 7. Learners’ goals in learning pronunciation ...........................................29

vi


LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Learners’ views on the importance of English pronunciation .............26
Table 2. Learners’ views on aspects related to pronunciation ............................26
Table 3. Factors pose difficulties for learners in learning pronunciation .........28

Table 4. Learners’ attitude towards the goals of learning pronunciation .........30

vii


LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
EFL

English as a Foreign Language

ESL

English as a Second Language

HaUI

Hanoi University of Industry

ELT

English Language Teaching

L1

First language

L2

Second language

CEFR

Common European Framework of Reference

viii


PART A. INTRODUCTION
This initial chapter is a brief overview of the study with more details of
rationale, together with its scope, methods, significance and organization. Also, in
this chapter, the research questions are identified to work as a clear guideline for the
whole research.
1. Rationale
English has been taught in Vietnam as a compulsory subject from primary
school to university for the last few decades. Harmer (2001) emphasizes that the
goal of language education is to enable students to communicate in the target
language. However, due to the traditional pedagogy, emphasizing the acquisition of
grammar and vocabulary rather than communicative competence, a large number of
graduates still have such poor listening and speaking skills after spending years
learning English. It means that they have not achieved the communicative
competence.
Spoken communication is determined by not only correct grammar and a great
number of vocabulary but also the correct pronunciation. Hinofitis and Baily (1980
as cited in Tam, 2005) states that “up to a certain proficiency standard, the fault
which most severely impairs the communication process in EFL (English as a
Foreign Language)/ESL (English as a Second Language) learners is pronunciation,
rather than vocabulary or grammar. Their arguments make pronunciation more
important in improving the communicative competence of learners”. Fangzhi
(1998:39) considers pronunciation as a means of passing someone's message.
According to Burns (2003), despite minor inaccuracies in vocabulary and grammar,

learners are able to communicate effectively with good pronunciation and
intonation. Thus, pronunciation is viewed as a key in EFL learning process since it
is directly related to the development of learners‟ communicative competence.
Pronunciation is one of the most important things that students have to master in

1


order to communicate appropriately and fluently. It should be a “must” skill for
English language learners.
Many leaners of English as a Second Language have difficulties in
pronunciation even after years of learning the language (Fraser, 2000a). Recently,
the growing emphasis on communicative approaches for the teaching of English
leads to the demand of pronunciation teaching and learning. Pronunciation part is
included in English curriculum. However, there is a fact that only in the Faculty of
English language, pronunciation is learnt as a separated subject. Thus, what about
non-major students? Whether or not the students are aware of the importance of
pronunciation? To what extent do the learners care for and understand the purposes
of learning pronunciation? For all reasons mentioned above, I have chosen the topic
“A Survey Research on Freshmen’s Perceptions of the improtance of pronunciation
and their difficulties in Learning English Pronunciation”.
2. Objectives of the study
The aim of this study is to explore the freshmen‟s perception in learning
pronunciation. To be more specific, the study is carried out to seek the answers to
the following issues:
 Firstly, the attitudes of the freshmen at Hanoi University of Industry towards
the importance of pronunciation in learning English.
 Secondly, the factors which the learners consider as their difficulties in
learning pronunciation.
 Thirdly, what the students want to achieve in learning pronunciation.

The findings of the study will hopefully provide better information for English
teachers at Hanoi University of Industry (HaUI) to understand the views of their
freshmen about learning pronunciation as well as their problems in pronunciation
learning, andto determine whether learners need to reset their goals of learning, or
teachers need to adjust their methods of teaching pronunciation, or they should give

2


learners more direction to help them overcome their difficulties and set realistic and
achievable goals.
3. Research questions
To achieve the above mentioned purposes, the following research questions
are set out to be answered:
 How do the first-year-students at HaUI perceive the importance of
pronunciation in learning English?
 Which factors do the learners consider as their difficulties in the process of
learning English pronunciation?
 What are the goals of students in terms of learning English pronunciation?
4. Methods of the study
To fulfill the aims of the study, both quantitative and qualitative methods were
selected for this survey research.
The data serving the research analysis and findings are collected by the
following instruments:
 Survey questionnaires
 Interviews
 Analyzing the questions meticulously
The collected data comes from the freshmen studying in two non-major
classes at HaUI. Then the analysis is carried out in the light of finding out the
answers to the research question. The final conclusion is based on these findings.

5. Significance of the study
The findings of the study reveal a new view of learners about learning English
pronunciation. It provides insights for teachers to understand their learners‟ needs of
pronunciation in spoken English learning to improve their teaching methods in this
section.
3


6. Scope of the study
The participants of the study are the first-year students at Hanoi University of
Industry. However, the informants of the study are limited to non-major students.
There are many aspects to talk about learning English pronunciation. This
paper only deals with the barriers that directly affect the learners‟ English
pronunciation learning and their goals of learning pronunciation.
7. Organization of the study
My thesis is composed of three main parts.
Part A, Introduction, is concerned with the rationale, the aims, the research
questions, the methods, the scope, the significance and the structure of the study.
Part B, Development, consists of three chapters as follows:
 Chapter 1, Literature Review, presents an overview of the previous studies
as well as the various concepts most relevant to the research topic.
 Chapter 2, Methodology, gives an account of how the research is carried out.
 Chapter 3, Research Findings and Discussion, analyzes the collected data
as well as discusses the major findings.
Part C, Conclusion, addresses the key issues in the study, summarizes some
shortcomings revealed during the process of the completing the study, and then
gives some suggestions for further studies.

4

PART B. DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 1. LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter is to provide background information for the study. Firstly, the
author will give a brief review of previous studies about learners‟ perceptions of
learning pronunciation. Next, the various concepts relevant to the research topic will
be presented, including the definitions of “pronunciation”, the role of pronunciation
in learning English, the goals of English pronunciation learning and teaching, and
some common factors affecting the process of learning pronunciation. Lastly, the
current situation of teaching and learning pronunciation in Vietnam will be
mentioned.
1.1.

An overview of the previous studies
In the last two decades, in the field of learning and teaching language, there

are a great number of scholars who are interested in learners‟ attitudes and beliefs.
However, the number of research into learners‟ perceptions of pronunciation is
quite small. For over the last decade, there have been studies in attempting to deal
with this gap in the literature. As Brown (1991) states, “no one would deny the
importance of pronunciation as a contributor towards learners‟ proficiency in
English” (p.1), and “learners are clearly aware that poor pronunciation represents a
considerable barrier to their success in English” (p.1). In 1999, the results of a study
of Cenoz and Garcia Lecumberri which was carried out at the University of the
Basque Country show that although most participants find pronunciation difficult,
they all think that it is important. In another research of Derwing and Rossiter
(2002) about learners‟ perceptions of their language needs with relation to
pronunciation (in an ESL setting in Canada), the authors find that 55% of
participants said that pronunciation is a significant problem for them and that 90%
of them would participate in the pronunciation program if available. Other studies

suggest that learners highly appreciate the pronunciation teaching, such as the study
in Finland of Tergujeff (2013), that upper secondary students want to be taught
5


more pronunciation. These studies are clear evidences of learners‟ desire for more
pronunciation teaching and their awareness of its importance.
1.2.

Role of English pronunciation in learning English
The importance of pronunciation in successful communication has been

emphasized by many researchers. Fraser (2000a), for instance, argues that:
Being able to speak English of course includes a number of sub-skills,
involving vocabulary, grammar, pragmatics, etc. However, by far, the most
important of these skills is pronunciation; with good pronunciation, a speaker is
intelligible despite other errors; with poor pronunciation, a speaker can be very
difficult to understand despite accuracy in other areas. Pronunciation is the aspect
that most affects how the speaker is judged by others, and how they are formally
assessed in other skills (p. 7).

Pronunciation is the key aspect in the development of oral skills. It is responsible
for intelligibility: whether or not we can convey our meaning. It plays an essential
part in conveying our meaning in discourse, for practical transitions as well as
personal interactions.
The view that “intelligible pronunciation is an essential component of
communicative competence” (Morley, 1991) is generally accepted with the
necessity of teaching pronunciation on the segmental and supra-segmental levels.
Celce-Murcia et al also show that pronunciation plays an important role in
communicative competence since successful communication cannot take place

without correct pronunciation. (Celce-Murcia et al, 1996). Obviously, although we
are proficient at grammar and have a large amount of vocabulary, we just cannot get
ourselves understood in oral communication if we pronounce words wrongly.
Poorly pronounced segments and supra-segments may have the results of
misunderstanding.
Intonation

6


When taking part in one conversation, the participants involved in, wish to get
their message across. In order to this, speakers package their messages into
meaningful units, or sense groups. These chunks are also called tone units, or
intonation groups. Therefore, intonation is an important vehicle for signaling
prominence. In addition, intonation convey social meanings and speaker
involvement as well as the management of conversation in terms of turn-taking and
signaling the informational value of tone units (Dalton and Seidlhofer 1994).
Stress and unstress
Being able to put the stress on the appropriate syllables is something which is
essential for learners of any level because it is crucial for intelligibility and also
closely connected with the articulation of individual sound segments.
Phonemes
At the segmental level, it is crucial to understand which sounds in a language
are distinctive ones because they express differences in meaning, compare the
vowel sounds of “feel” and “fill”.
Allophones
Allophones are non-distinctive and often depend on the sound environment.
For example, aspirated and non-aspirated /p/, /k/, /t/ are non-distinctive. Knowledge
of articulatory phonetics will help to understand how the sound of the target
language are produced.

According to Burns (2003), speakers of English can achieve:
 Intelligibility (the speaker produces sound patterns that are recognizable as
English)
 Comprehensibility (the listener is able to understand the meaning of what is
said)
 Interpretability (the listener is able to understand the purpose of what is said).

7


For instance, the sentence “It‟s hot today” can be said as “Is ho day”. This is
unlikely to be intelligible because of inaccurate sound, stress and intonation
patterns. As a result, a listener would not find the speaker comprehensible because
meaning is not available. Because the speaker is incomprehensible, the listener
cannot interpret the utterance as an indirect request to open the window. This means
that clear pronunciation is very important in oral communication. Even where
learners produce minor inaccuracies in vocabulary and grammar, they are likely to
communicate effectively when they have good pronunciation and intonation (Burns,
2003).
Pronunciation is as important as any other aspects of foreign language
learning, in particular listening, speaking, grammar and spelling. Correct
pronunciation is very necessary to develop speaking skill. Pronunciation also has
close connections to the other fields such as listening skills and even grammar.
Once a person can pronounce correctly the endings of the words, for example, he
can, at the same time give grammatical information. There is no doubt that incorrect
pronunciation tends to disrupt communication just as incorrect spellings do. Some
other examples are mentioned in The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to
Speakers of other Languages such as:
Bygate (1987), Anderson and Lynch (1988), Bailey and Savage (1994) and Nunan
and Miller (1995) offer an overview of theoretical background and teaching

techniques for the areas of listening and speaking respectively, and make it easy to
see how these abilities are inextricably bound up with pronunciation. Rost (1990)
discusses how listeners depend on stress and intonation as primary clue for
processing incoming speech, and Seidlhofer and Dalton-Puffer (1995) argue for
linking the teaching of pronunciation with that of lexico-grammar, and Morley
(1994) effectively integrates pronunciation with other skill in her “multidimensional
curriculum design for speech-pronunciation instruction” for English for academic
purposes.

Carter. R. and Nunan. D. (2001, chapter 8)

8


Fraser (2000a) explains that “being able to speak English includes a number of
sub-kills (vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation and pragmatics), in which
pronunciation is by far the most important. She also argues that “with good
pronunciation, a speaker is intelligible despite other errors; with poor pronunciation,
understanding a speaker will be very difficult, despite accuracy in other areas”
(Fraser, 2000a, p.7).
In short, the enormous importance of pronunciation for successful
communication is now widely accepted. The field has undergone a rapid
development in the 1990s, broadening its scope and strengthening its links with
other areas of language use and language learning. It has important values not only
in oral communication but also in foreign language learning. Acquiring good
pronunciation is what a learner needs to make effort to do on the way of mastering a
foreign language.
1.2.

Goals of English pronunciation teaching and learning

The field of pronunciation in English Language Teaching (ELT) has long been

influenced by two contradictory paradigms: “nativeness” and “intelligibility”.
In the past, pronunciation teaching has been approached through the
nativeness principle (Levis, 2005). The nativeness principle assumes that native-like
pronunciation is desirable and achievable in learning a foreign language. This view
was prevailed until the 1960s, when research showed that native-like phonology
appears to be biologically conditioned to occur only before adulthood. Thus, the
purpose of achieving nativeness in pronunciation is an unrealistic burden for both
teachers and learners. Furthermore, this principle may not be desirable to the
learners who want to keep their mother tongue language identity.
The second principle is the intelligibility principle. It shows that learners
simply need to be understandable. As stated by Jenkins (1998), when English is
used as an international language, aiming for a native-like accent is not the final

9


target of a majority of learners, and communicating with native speakers is no
longer their principal motivation for learning English. Jenkins argues what English
learners need is to be successful in communication with non-native speakers with
various L1 backgrounds. Thus, it is necessary to consider which pronunciation
norms and models are the most suitable for learners of English whose purpose is to
use English as an international communication tool. Jenkins (2000) also proposes
that a local variety of English should be taught rather than a native speaker model, if
learners require English for international communication with non-native speakers.
With the same view, Levis (2005) showed that under the intelligibility principle,
learners expect to be understood by both native and non-native L2 users.
Kenworthy (1987) points that on some teachers‟ views, pronunciation
instruction cannot be useful because only a few learners will be able to get nativelike pronunciation. However, indigenous pronunciation can be an ideal purpose

only for some learners and not for all learners. Intelligibility is really a reasonable
goal for most learners. Harmer (2001) states that learners rarely can pronounce
perfectly. In addition, some learners want to retain their foreign accent because of
their identity. Native-like pronunciation may be an inappropriate target for the
majority of learners. Understandable pronunciation should be one of the basic goals
of language learners. Pronunciation guidelines have some practical goals that need
to be emphasized for developing communicative competence.
To achieve communicative competence, Morley (1991) suggests four learner‟s
goals: a) “functional intelligibility” - making spoken English easy to understand and
not confusing to the listener;; b) “functional communicability” - developing spoken
language that meets persons‟ needs and achieving communicative competence; c)
“increased self-confidence” - developing a positive self-awareness as non-native
speakers in oral communication”; d) “speech monitoring abilities and modification
strategies for use beyond the classroom” - that will allow students to develop
intelligibility, communicability and confidence in and out of the classroom.

10


Also, according to Burns (2003:5), it is “important that speakers of English
can achieve: a) Intelligibility (the speaker produces sound patterns that are
recognizable as English); b) Comprehensibility (the listener is able to understand
the meaning of what is said); c) Interpretability (the listener is able to understand
the purpose of what is said)”.
1.3.

Pronunciation learning

1.3.1. Factors affecting pronunciation learning
Kenworthy (1987:4, as cited in Nunan 1991) points out the following factors

that affect the pronunciation learning.
 The native language
The native language is an important factor in learning to pronounce. The more
differences there are between the native and the target language, the more
difficulties will be encountered by the learners. When a particular sound does not
exist in the mother tongue, the learners tend to substitute it by the nearest equivalent
from the native language. Therefore it cannot be denied that the native language of
learners has an impact on their pronunciation in the target language.
 The age factor
It is commonly assumed that the age factor has a great influence on
pronunciation. The earlier a learner starts to learn a target language, the more
native-like pronunciation he or she achieves.
 Amount of exposure
Another factor is the amount of exposure to English the learners receive. It
means learners who live in the country where the target language is spoken or are
surrounded by an target language – speaking environment have some advantages
over those who do not.
 Phonetic ability

11


It is generally assumed that some people have a better ability to hear foreign
languages than others. This skill has been variously termed “phonetic coding
ability”, “aptitude for oral mimicry” or “auditory discrimination ability”.
 Attitude and identity
Many studies of attitude in language learning has shown that learners who
show positive feelings towards the speakers of the new language tend to develop
more accurate, native-like accents.
 Motivation

For some learners pronunciation is more important than for others. The
learners who consider pronunciation to be an important part of their English
learning are usually eager to be corrected and concern about how good or bad their
pronunciation is. This factor should not be neglected as it is considered to be one of
the most important factors affecting pronunciation learning.
1.3.2. Common problems in pronunciation learning
It is know that teaching and learning pronunciation involves a variety of
challenges which both teachers and learners cannot overcome successfully if they
do not really have a deep understanding of these problems. The difficulties in
pronunciation lessons arise not only from the nature of pronunciation itself, but also
from other various subjective and objective factors. In the light of the previous and
current studies, several major problems both teachers and students often encounter
in the pronunciation classes are mentioned as follows:
 The nature of pronunciation
As mentioned above, mother tongue is a factor which has a great influence on
pronunciation learning of a foreign language. Nunan (1991) states that the problems
of acquiring the phonology of the second language presents formidable challenge to
any theory of second language acquisition. The more differences there are between

12


the native and the target language, the more difficulties will be encountered by the
learners. Furthermore, English pronunciation itself contains a great number of
complicated factors and rules, which causes difficulties for learners of English in
general and Vietnamese learners of English in particular. In more details, Doff
(1998) points out some common problems learners often get into when learning
pronunciation of speaking English such as difficulty in pronouncing sounds which
do not exist in the students‟ own language; confusion of similar sounds; difficulty in
pronouncing consonant clusters; and tendency to give all syllables equal stress and

“flat” intonation.
 Class setting
According to some researchers coming from Asian countries such as Vietnam,
Thailand, Korean, China, etc., a large number of problems in pronunciation
teaching and learning arise from class setting. It is easily seen that in many English
classes in Universities, classroom size is too large, on average with over 60 students
per class. Moreover, the classroom condition is poor and the quality of teachers
staff is also a problem. All issues above partly cause challenges for teachers and
students in teaching and learning pronunciation.
1.4.

Pronunciation teaching and learning in Vietnam
English has become the first choice of the foreign language in Vietnam due to

the expansion of economic integration between Vietnam and other countries in the
region as well as other nations in the world. This expansion is marked by Vietnam's
participation in organizations such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and the World Trade Organization
(WTO). ). As a result, foreign investors are increasingly investing in Vietnam and
seeking a skilled workforce with a good command of English. However, the
communicative competence in English of Vietnamese workforce has not meet the
requirements of the employers (Kieu, 2010, p.119). They have poor listening and
speaking skills because of the traditional pedagogy, which emphasizes grammar and
13


vocabulary rather than communicative competence (Pham, 2005). Wright (2002)
asserts that " the traditional emphasis on accuracy in the written language rather
than the acquisition of fluency in the spoken language is inappropriate for many
Vietnamese today"(p.242). With the lack of English proficiency, the need to

improve English competence of Vietnamese learners, especially speaking skills
becomes the concern of many stakeholders in Vietnam. According to Gilakjani
(2012),
“learners with good English pronunciation are likely to be understood even if they
make errors in other areas, whereas learners with bad pronunciation will not be
understood, even if their grammar is perfect. Such learners may avoid speaking in
English, and experience social isolation, employment difficulties and limited
opportunities for further study. We judge people by the way they speak, and so
learners with poor pronunciation may be judged as incompetent, uneducated or
lacking in knowledge” (p.96).

For above reasons, pronunciation plays an important role in fostering
Vietnamese learners‟ speaking skills. It should be positioned as a priority in any
ELT curriculum. The issue of English pronunciation has received considerable
attention from Vietnamese researchers so far, however, their studies virtually all
focus on the phonological aspects of languages and few, if any, can be found on
other pedagogical aspects. This thesis, thus seeks to address this gap in the
literature.

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CHAPTER 2. METHODOLOGY
In this chapter, the author gives an account of how the research was carried
out. The methodology used for this thesis will be clearly presented and discussed.
Firstly, the rationale of using survey method is mentioned. Secondly, the setting of
the research is described. Next, the researcher provides the research methodology
with detailed descriptions and explanations about the selection of research methods,
participants, the data collection instruments. Lastly, the data collection and analysis
procedure will also be presented.

2.1.

The rationale of using the survey method
Surveys are widely used for collecting data in most areas. According to Cohen

and Manion (1985), surveys are the most commonly used descriptive method in
educational research, from large scale to small scale. Unlike an experimental study
where the researcher manipulates the environment in order to examine the
interaction between variables, in a survey study, “the researcher doesn‟t do anything
to the objects or subjects of research, except observe them or ask them to provide
data. The research consists of collecting data on things or people as they are,
without trying to alter anything” (Nunan, 1992a, pp. 140-141). The purpose of a
survey is generally to obtain a snapshot of conditions, attitudes, and/or events at
single point in time. This study is aimed to explore learners‟ perceptions of
pronunciation needs in English learning. Therefore, survey is the most suitable
method for this study.
2.2.

Description of the setting
On December, 02nd 2015, the Prime Minister issued decision number

315/2005 QĐ/TTG to upgrade Hanoi College of Industry to Hanoi University of
Industry. Hanoi University of Industry provides education and training service,
scientific research, technology consulting and transferring service for the higher
purpose of industrialization and modernization of Vietnam and global integration.
In 2016-2017 academic year, Hanoi University of Industry has 31 training programs
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