Knowledge Base of Pronunciation Teaching: Staking Out the Territory

Abstract

Despite decades of advocacy for greater investigative attention, research into pronunciation instruction in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) and English as a foreign language (EFL) continues to be limited. This limitation is particularly evident in explorations of teacher cognition (e.g., teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and understandings), an area emerging as a vibrant focus for grounded research on the development, preparation, and instructional behaviors of ESL/EFL teachers. This article provides a comprehensive review of teacher cognition literatures tied to ESL/EFL pronunciation instruction. The review’s dual purposes are (a) to document the current knowledge base of pronunciation teaching, and (b) to propose future directions for classroom-based teacher cognition research in this area.