EXPLORING THE PERCEPTUAL DIFFERENCES IN ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION: INSIGHTS FROM TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Abstract

This study investigates EFL teachers’ and students’ perspectives on pronunciation correction, instructional practices, and accent preferences in postgraduate contexts. Drawing on thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 experienced EFL instructors and descriptive statistics from a 13-item Likert-scale questionnaire administered to 200 students, the research highlights key divergences and alignments in teacher-student perceptions. Findings reveal that while teachers generally overestimated students’ confidence in pronunciation skills, students reported varied levels of self-assurance, often linked to socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. Both groups prioritized intelligibility over native-like accents, though students exhibited a strong preference for American English models, influenced by media exposure. Discrepancies emerged in feedback preferences: students favoured private correction to avoid cultural discomfort, whereas teachers assumed openness to public feedback. Additionally, students perceived greater instructional emphasis on pronunciation than teachers reported, suggesting misalignments in pedagogical priorities. The study underscores the need for culturally responsive, student-cantered approaches to pronunciation instruction that reconcile pedagogical objectives with learner preferences.