Challenges Students Encounter in their Study of Pronunciation in Ghana: A Case of Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the challenges Ghanaian students face in learning English language pronunciation. The study employed a qualitative approach through administering a recording test on the learners and a questionnaire that required teachers to write their views and ideas regarding the problem under investigation. The study collected data from 50 randomly selected students out of a total number of 300 from the final year classes of Osei Kyeretwie Senior High School and 25 out of 45 teachers of English from the languages department. The study found that a large number of the learners mispronounced selected vowels and consonants, thus confirming the reality that pronunciation problem persisting in Ghanaian secondary schools. The problem of poor pronunciation was found to be related to the teaching and learning strategies employed in teaching pronunciation, unskilled teachers and the influence of mother tongues. The study recommends that teacher trainees in English language from institutions of higher learning should be exposed to the appropriate strategies of teaching good pronunciation. Furthermore, regular in-service training should be organized for the teachers of English in senior high schools to equip them with the current approaches to teaching pronunciation. Lastly, stakeholders of education in the country should provide well-resourced language laboratories for senior high schools to enable students to practice phonetics effectively.