Perspectives of A1 Students’ Difficulties in Pronunciation

Abstract

Among the four primary skills to acquire in studying a foreign language, speaking represents a significant challenge for most English learners whose mother tongue is Spanish since its phonology differs significantly from their language. This research aims to describe some of the difficulties that EFL learners face in English pronunciation, which do not allow them to develop speaking skills. This research is a descriptive study, and the instrument applied is a survey. The participants of this investigation were registered at the introductory level, aiming to achieve the A1 level. Findings show that participants are aware of the importance of speaking skills. In addition, most of them agree that pair work in the classroom is of great help for them to develop speaking skills. Moreover, most learners agree that the more they practice in class, the more likely they will use English outside it and vice versa. This study has practical implications in the EFL classroom since teachers can be aware of the roots of the pronunciation problems, and even the students would be able to identify the obstacles to get over.