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Part of
English Pronunciation Instruction: Research-based insights
Edited by Anastazija Kirkova-Naskova, Alice Henderson and Jonás Fouz-González
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 19] 2021
► pp. 17–37

Chapter 2
Connecting the dots between pronunciation research and practice

| Iowa State University

The (non)interaction of research and practice is a common issue in language teaching circles. The disconnect is perhaps nowhere more evident than in teaching and researching L2 pronunciation, where teachers lack an understanding of key concerns that drive pronunciation research and are often inadequately trained to teach pronunciation. This chapter explores influential pronunciation research that is explicitly focused toward pedagogy and encourages non-researching teachers to understand what they can expect from research studies. It will also encourage them to consider how some of the important questions in pronunciation research are intensely practical. Likewise, the chapter suggests what researchers can do to make pedagogical connections of their studies clearer and provides reasons why researchers should pay closer attention to pedagogy.

Keywords: pronunciation teaching, pronunciation research, pedagogical implications, research-practice connection
Article outline
  • Background
  • Ongoing concerns about pedagogical implications
    • Why researchers and teachers have trouble communicating
      • Connection 1. Research ⟶ Teaching
      • Connection 2. Teaching ⟶ Research
      • Connection 3. Research ⟷ Teaching
    • Other differences between teachers and researchers
    • Where research can inform teaching
      • General concepts and findings
      • Effectiveness of techniques and approaches
      • Knowledge of how learning occurs
  • What teachers would find helpful
  • What researchers would find helpful
  • Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 13 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.19.02lev
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