# Prepared to rescue Cinderella? Exploring Austrian EFL student teachers' beliefs about pronunciation teaching and learning

Karin Richter

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Karin Richter. Prepared to rescue Cinderella? Exploring Austrian EFL student teachers' beliefs about pronunciation teaching and learning. In A. Kirkova-Naskova, P. Humanez-Berral & A. Henderson, (Eds.). Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices, Université Grenoble-Alpes, pp.97-108, 2025, 10.5281/zenodo.16696158. hal-05196458

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Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Richter, K. (2025). Prepared to rescue Cinderella? Exploring Austrian EFL student teachers' beliefs about pronunciation teaching and learning. In A. Kirkova-Naskova, P. Humanez-Berral, & A. Henderson (Eds.), *Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices* (pp. 97–108). Université Grenoble-Alpes. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16696158

# Prepared to rescue Cinderella? Exploring Austrian EFL student teachers' beliefs about pronunciation teaching and learning

Karin Richter

University of Vienna

## Abstract

Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in researching EFL pronunciation learning and teaching. Despite this increased scholarly attention, pronunciation remains a challenging area for many EFL teachers, largely due to the lack of specialised pedagogy courses in teacher education. This paper highlights findings from a study on the views of 78 EFL student teachers at the University of Vienna, Austria. Utilising a quantitative approach, the research explores student teachers' beliefs about their perceived pronunciation proficiency and teaching competence. The results reveal that while most participants are satisfied with their own pronunciation skills, about half of them lack confidence in their ability to teach pronunciation effectively. Furthermore, there is a clear demand for a dedicated didactics course on pronunciation instruction, as the current curriculum prioritises other linguistic areas. Although an existing pronunciation class ostensibly helps improve their confidence in their own phonological competence, it does not adequately prepare them for teaching pronunciation. These findings confirm a need for teacher educators to offer pronunciation teaching courses within EFL training programs, ensuring future educators are equipped to address this often neglected area.

**Keywords:** EFL teacher education, teacher beliefs, English pronunciation teaching, explicit pronunciation instruction

<figure><img src="image_2.png" /></figure>

This chapter is based on the oral presentation given by the author at the 8th International Conference English Pronunciation: Issues and Practices (EPIP 8) held May 8–10, 2024 at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, please go to: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
**1. Introduction**

Over the past decade, numerous researchers have advocated for a renewed emphasis on EFL pronunciation teaching, a field previously marginalised and metaphorically described as the “Cinderella” of language teaching (Celce-Murcia et al., 1996, p. 323) or “the neglected orphan” (Deng et al., 2009, p. 1; Gajewska, 2021, p. 20). This growing recognition of pronunciation as a legitimate research discipline has led some linguists to observe that Cinderella has seemingly transformed into the “Belle of the Ball” (Derwing, 2019, p. 27). However, the question arises whether intensified scientific attention translates into tangible improvements in pronunciation teaching practices in EFL classrooms. Indeed, this shift does not yet seem to have reached its happily-ever-after stage. As Levis (2021) points out, there remains a noticeable gap between research and practice, with many interesting studies lacking clear implications for teaching and practically-oriented publications showing insufficient grounding in research. In other words, pronunciation pedagogy continues to struggle to keep pace with advancements in research (Kirkova-Naskova, 2023).

Recent studies have confirmed that pronunciation still remains a challenging area for numerous EFL teachers (e.g., Schaefer, 2023; Tegnered & Rentner, 2021). Commonly cited among the core reasons for this neglect is the scarcity of pronunciation pedagogy courses in teacher education programmes (e.g., Baran-Łucarz, 2022; Burri, 2015; Yokomoto, 2016). This is due to many universities still relying on general linguistics courses rather than offering targeted instruction on how to effectively teach pronunciation.

**2. The pronunciation teaching paradox**

Pronunciation is without doubt a fundamental aspect of language competence, playing a pivotal role in both intelligibility and communicative effectiveness in EFL contexts (Celce-Murcia et al., 2010; Jenkins, 2000). Despite clear evidence supporting the benefits of explicit pronunciation teaching and its positive impact on student performance (e.g., Komar, 2019; Murphy & Baker 2019; Rao, 2019; Saito & Plonsky, 2019), many practitioners continue to bypass pronunciation in their lessons (Darcy, 2018; Yoshida, 2016), a phenomenon Darcy (2018) refers to as the “pronunciation teaching paradox” (p. 16).

Research has consistently demonstrated that many EFL teachers confess to being reluctant to teach pronunciation (e.g., Henderson et al., 2012; Murphy, 2018; Schäfer, 2023). Even experienced teachers frequently express unease when correcting or evaluating their students' pronunciation skills, with some avoiding pronunciation instruction altogether (Baker & Burri, 2016; Nangimah, 2020). This resistance is particularly strong among novice teachers, who, confronted with the complexity of diverse classrooms and evolving curricula, tend to view pronunciation as the least important aspect of language teaching (Baker & Burri, 2016). The literature often attributes this reluctance to the absence of emphasis in curricula (Jenkins, 2000), inappropriate teaching materials (Baker & Murphy, 2018), tight schedules and rigid syllabi (Levis & Sonsaat, 2019), as well as a lack of training and confidence (Henderson et al., 2012; Murphy, 2014; Murphy & Baker, 2015).

Against this backdrop, studies by Baker (2011), Burri (2015), or Yokomoto (2016) have shown that EFL teachers' personal experiences with pronunciation learning and teaching greatly impact their confidence in teaching pronunciation, as well as their beliefs about phonological instruction in general. Despite the crucial role these experiences play, many EFL teacher education programs fail to provide adequate training in this respect (Baran-Łucarz, 2022; Derwing, 2019; Murphy, 2014), often leaving teachers ill-prepared to address pronunciation issues in their classrooms. This deficiency in teacher preparation can perpetuate ineffective pronunciation teaching practices, which in turn, hampers learners' progress in
developing pronunciation skills. Conversely, a number of empirical studies have found that a dedicated pronunciation pedagogy course can in fact significantly boost EFL teachers' confidence, leading them to address pronunciation more systematically in their classrooms, compared to those without targeted training (e.g., Baran-Łucarz, 2022; Nagle et al., 2018; Kochem & Levis, 2022).

It is crucial to consider the views of future EFL teachers to tailor teacher education programmes to the needs of 21st language learners, and prevent pronunciation from being relegated to the sides or abandoned in English language classrooms. Given these concerns, it is imperative to explore the role of pronunciation in EFL teacher education more thoroughly.

This research aims to shed light on the effects an explicit pronunciation course has on student teachers' perceptions of pronunciation instruction. Unlike many European EFL teacher training programs, which often lack a focus on practical phonetics (Henderson et al., 2012), the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Vienna offers an explicit pronunciation course as part of its Bachelor of Education (BEd) programme. At present, no courses are available that specialise in pronunciation pedagogy. This prompts the question if a single language competence class is sufficient to build students' confidence in teaching pronunciation while, at the same time, equipping them with a comprehensive repertoire of teaching tools and methods to effectively address pronunciation in their future classrooms.

**2.1 Research questions**

Grounded in the premise that student teachers' views and experiences can exert a significant impact on their prospective pedagogical practices, this study aims to investigate the beliefs advanced student teachers of English at the Department of English and American studies hold about pronunciation teaching and learning. To this end, the following three main research questions were formulated:

**RQ1:** What do EFL student teachers think about their own pronunciation skills?

**RQ2:** How confident do EFL student teachers feel about their pronunciation teaching skills?

**RQ3:** What are EFL student teachers school-related experiences with explicit pronunciation instruction?

**3. Research context and methodology**

**3.1 EFL teacher education at the University of Vienna**

As part of the Bachelor of Education programme, students enrolled in the teacher education programme at the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Vienna are required to complete an explicit pronunciation course. This course, Practical Phonetics and Oral Communication Skills (PPOCS), is designed to assist students in developing their own pronunciation skills (Richter, 2021). In addition to a weekly 90-minute interactive class with a lecturer, the course also includes a 90-minute compulsory language lab session every week for further practice. A closer look at the syllabus for PPOCS 1 reveals that each session focuses on a small number of specific segmental and suprasegmental features, which are practised productively and receptively. As far as pronunciation teaching pedagogy is concerned, pronunciation is addressed only marginally, if at all, in introductory EFL teaching courses.
**3.2 Participants**

The student teachers (N = 78) who participated in this study were all enrolled in the Master of Education programme at the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Vienna. Data was collected from the winter semester 2021/22 to the winter semester 2022/23. The students were informed about the purpose of the study, and their participation was voluntary, ensuring adherence to ethical research guidelines. All the participants had taken PPOCS as part of their BA studies. At the time of data collection, 40% of the respondents were already teaching English at school or another educational institution. Three quarters (76%) of the respondents were female. This 3:1 ratio largely corresponds to the average gender distribution in the teacher education programme at the department. The average age of the participants was 24, and the level of English language competence the participants are expected to have reached at this stage is C1, according to the Common European Framework of Reference (Council of Europe, 2001). In order to ensure confidentiality, participants were coded as R1 through R78.

**3.3 Instruments**

In order to elicit the student teachers' views, a quantitative approach was adopted. A carefully constructed online survey with closed and open questions was administered using Google Forms. Participation was optional and anonymous. The online questionnaire encompassed items regarding students' biographical data, their perception of their own pronunciation skills, and their views on and experiences with pronunciation teaching. The majority of the questions consisted of 4-point Likert-scale items. For some of these items, open questions asking the students to provide reasons for their choices were given. However, not all the respondents added verbal comments in the provided spaces.

**4. Data analysis and results**

The collected data was analysed using Excel. Participant responses were analysed descriptively using mean scores, percentages, and frequencies. For the qualitative part, responses to open-ended items were grouped thematically through content analysis. The thematic analysis involved manually identifying, coding, and grouping responses into key categories based on recurring patterns and concepts. These categories, guided by the research questions, included participants' positive and negative perceptions and experiences, challenges encountered, and suggestions for improvement.

**4.1 Student teachers' own pronunciation skills**

In order to address the first research question pertaining to the student teachers' views about their own pronunciation skills, two items from the questionnaire were considered. Firstly, they were asked to indicate the extent to which they agreed with the statement that EFL teachers need to ensure that they have good pronunciation skills. Figure 1 shows that the majority of all the respondents either strongly agreed (52%) or slightly agreed (42%).

The participants were also asked to rate their satisfaction with their own pronunciation on a 4-point scale with the options: 1 (very unhappy) to 4 (very happy). As Figure 2 shows, the participants' overall satisfaction with their own pronunciation was very high. The majority of the respondents indicated that they were very happy (35.9%) or moderately happy (48.7%). Less than 16% chose the option 'slightly unhappy'. Not a single respondent opted for the option 'very unhappy'.
<caption>Figure 1</caption>

Importance of Good Pronunciation Skills for Teachers

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /><figcaption>Figure 2</figcaption></figure>

Satisfaction with Own Pronunciation Skills

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /></figure>
To gain further insight into the data, the verbal comments some of the students provided were examined (n = 57). Among those who claim that they are happy with their pronunciation, most responses included references to the PPOCS course: "PPOCS really developed my pronunciation skills" (R9) or "I have learned during PPOCS how to improve my skills" (R24). At the same time, many respondents acknowledged room for improvement. as noted in the comments: "It could be better if I had more pronunciation classes and feedback" (R35) or "I wish I spent more time practising and getting better" (R72).

**4.2 Student teachers' confidence to teach pronunciation**

For the second research question about participants' views regarding their abilities to teach pronunciation, responses to the item *How do you feel about your pronunciation teaching skills* were analysed. The participants chose their answers on a 4-point scale from 1 (very insecure) to 4 (very confident). As Figure 3 shows, the data displays a clear divide. Slightly more than half of the participants feel very confident (9%) or quite confident (46.1%), whereas 41% report feeling rather insecure, and 3.9% very insecure.

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 3**

Pronunciation Teaching Skills</figcaption></figure>

As far as their verbal comments are concerned, many respondents (n = 47) claim to have learned how to teach pronunciation from the PPOCS course: "[...] because of the teaching/didactic strategies I have acquired through PPOCS" (R9) or "[...] because I went through PPOCS" (R34). At the same time, many of the student teachers point out that they lack the necessary skills, as shown in the following response: "We never learnt how to teach it. Where should I start? Should I introduce the IPA alphabet at first or what and when do I teach pronunciation?" (R5). Another participant cited the lack of pronunciation teaching content in general: "This has never been the focus of any of the courses at uni" (R53). Interestingly, among those who express insecurity, quite a few assert that they themselves experienced problems in the PPOCS course: "I don't have any experience with doing so and struggled with
pronunciation myself" (R59). A further theme which emerged from the data relates to teachers' views on what pronunciation instruction actually entails, as illustrated in the comments: "I feel confident that I can teach pronunciation when mistakes come up" (R33) or "Teaching pronunciation at school would mostly be done indirectly. Focusing on words that are difficult to pronounce, as they come up and focus on specific sounds that way" (R69). These remarks reveal a common misperception according to which pronunciation teaching solely consists of teachers correcting mispronounced words.

## 4.3 Student teachers' experience with explicit school-based pronunciation teaching

The third research question intended to gauge the participants' experiences with explicit pronunciation teaching in a school context. To this end, three different items referring to their experience as learners at school, as observers during school practice, and as teachers were analysed. As can be seen in Figure 4, a staggering 80% of the student teachers report that they did not have any experiences with explicit pronunciation teaching when they were learners at school. Eighty-three percent assert that they had not observed any lessons with explicit pronunciation teaching elements delivered by experienced teachers in the course of their studies. Although 33% claim that they themselves have taught pronunciation explicitly (in the course of their school-based practica), the percentage of those who have not is still very high (almost 70%). Most of the comments related to this item refer to the lack of training, for instance: "No experience; no class taught me how to do that" (R53) and "I have the necessary background knowledge (theory) but am missing the didactic knowledge on how to transmit it in a fun way to the students" (R34).

<caption>Figure 4</caption>

*Experience with Pronunciation Teaching*

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /></figure>
In order to find out whether the student teachers feel the need for more support regarding pronunciation teaching, they were asked whether they would be interested in taking a course focusing on pronunciation pedagogy. Figure 5 shows that approximately 80% of the participants expressed an interest in the course (58% definitely, 28% yes, maybe). Some of the comments in favour of such a course provide further insight into the student teachers' views, with many of them pointing at the crucial role of pronunciation, for instance: "It is an important skill to have. Pronunciation makes or breaks a language. Learning effective methods on teaching pronunciation could be useful for my future teaching career" (R10) or "I think I could benefit from activities or games that can be used in class to also motivate my students. I have also had the experience that especially younger learners find it fun to mimic the teacher and explore pronunciation (R37)".

<figure><img src="image_7.png" /><figcaption>**Figure 5**

*Interest in a Pronunciation Teaching Course*</figcaption></figure>

Among the 14% (11% I don't think so, 3% certainly not) who claimed not to be interested in such a course, the opinion that pronunciation is not as important as other skills prevailed: "In my opinion, there are more important things than teaching pronunciation. You can survive without the perfect pronunciation" (R77). A preference for other language skills could also be noted in the responses, for instance: "It might be interesting, but in comparison to teaching other skills, such as vocabulary, speaking etc., I don't think it's as important" (R55). Another theme that emerged relates to how some student teachers question the necessity of teaching pronunciation, given the learners' frequent exposure to online media, as illustrated in the following observation: "Because I don't believe it's really that necessary, most students speak with perfect pronunciation due to computer games, TV shows or podcasts anyways" (R62).
**5. Discussion of results and key findings**

This study set out to explore EFL student teachers' perceptions of and experiences with pronunciation instruction. The findings show that the overwhelming majority of the respondents are satisfied with their own pronunciation abilities after completing a single explicit pronunciation course as part of their undergraduate programme. However, this contrasts sharply with the fact that almost half of them report lacking confidence in teaching pronunciation. Given that the respondents are nearing the completion of their academic education, this deficit is concerning, though not entirely unexpected. In fact, similar results were observed in a large-scale study conducted by Henderson et al. (2012), which surveyed 640 practising EFL teachers across eight different European countries. They also found that their participants rated their own pronunciation proficiency as favourable but their pronunciation teaching skills as poor. This trend seems to persist even more than a decade later, not only in Europe but also in other EFL contexts such as Uruguay (Couper, 2016) or Brazil (Buss, 2016) where teachers do not feel confident teaching pronunciation due to a lack of skills and knowledge. The ambivalence found in the students' appreciation of the explicit pronunciation class was useful but additional training would have been even more beneficial, as observed in other research studies (e.g., Gordon & Barrantes-Elizondo, 2024).

Another important observation from the data is the participants' reported lack of experience with explicit school-based pronunciation instruction. The majority of the student teachers have had very little to no experience with pronunciation teaching as learners, observers, or teachers. About one third of them, however, reported some experience teaching pronunciation in an EFL classroom. The admittedly limited confidence to conduct such lessons without formal training might perhaps stem from the skills and the knowledge gained in a compulsory language competence course focusing on practical phonetics, or from a misconception of pronunciation teaching as merely correcting mispronounced words on the spot (Foote et al., 2016). This limitation to corrective feedback in the form of recasts has also been observed in a number of other studies (Foote et al., 2016; Murphy, 2011; Nguyen & Newton, 2020; Schäfer, 2023).

On a more positive note, the vast majority of students expressed interest in a pronunciation pedagogy course should it be offered as part of their university studies. Other empirical investigations have also highlighted the need for specialised pronunciation training in teacher education programs to adequately prepare student teachers for effective pronunciation instruction in L2 classrooms. For instance, Burri (2015) demonstrated that targeted pronunciation instruction significantly impacts teachers' confidence and effectiveness in the classroom, and thereby positively shapes their attitudes toward pronunciation teaching. Similar results have been found in other studies (Baker, 2014; Kochem, 2022) and even in professional development types of training (e.g., Nguyen & Newton, 2021).

Taken together, these results corroborate earlier research demonstrating that pronunciation teaching still does not receive the attention it deserves in today's EFL teacher education. Thus, these findings underscore the need for a systematic re-evaluation of teacher training programs to ensure that pronunciation is integrated as a core component.

**6. Conclusion and implications**

The objective of the present study was to shed light on whether EFL student teachers enrolled at the Master of Education programme at the University of Vienna feel adequately prepared to rescue Cinderella and teach pronunciation in their (future) classrooms. The findings indicate that an explicit language competence course dedicated to enhancing the students' own pronunciation skills can have a positive impact on their self-confidence regarding their own
pronunciation skills. However, it does not result in a correspondingly high level of confidence
in their ability to teach pronunciation.

Though limited in their focus on a very specific group of student teachers, the insights gained in this project remain valuable in reaffirming a key trend: the persistent gap between research and practice. To ensure high-quality pronunciation instruction in EFL classrooms, student teachers need to be equipped with the methodological expertise and the necessary tools in order to help L2 learners to perceive and produce a new phonological system. Teacher educators have to realise that a lecture on phonetics and phonology or a single explicit pronunciation class does not inherently result in the seamless transformation of this knowledge into actual teaching practices.

By making pronunciation instruction an obligatory component of EFL teacher training education, future generations of teachers will be better equipped to deliver effective pronunciation instruction, leading to improved learning outcomes and greater overall proficiency in English as a foreign language. Such a course for student teachers could then help lay the groundwork for future generations of EFL instructors to develop the confidence needed to teach a skill as vital to communicative language competence as pronunciation.

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## About the author

Karin Richter holds a teaching degree in English and German and a PhD in educational linguistics from the University of Vienna. In her PhD she focused on pronunciation learning in an English-medium context. She currently works as a senior lecturer in the Department of English and American Studies, teaching a wide range of classes in the English Language Competence (ELC) programme as well as in teacher education. Her research interests include English pronunciation learning and teaching, (student) teacher cognition, and EFL teacher education.

Email: karin.richter@univie.ac.at