Poor pronunciation of English words by SHS students of Ashaiman Senior High School

Abstract

A descriptive survey was conducted on the poor pronunciation of English words by students in the Ashaiman Senior High School. The research questions that were answered included what types of pronunciation errors do students of make? What are the factors that led to the poor pronunciation of English words by the students? And what strategies and methods could be used to improve the pronunciation of English words among the students? The study population 1750 out of which 300 students and Five (5) teachers participated through random and purposive sampling respectively. The study found five (5) types of pronunciation errors that students often make in the study area that include errors in Fricative and Plosive Consonants, short pure vowel, Pure Long Vowels and Diphthongs as problematic to the students. It also found five factors that led to the poor pronunciation of English words resulting from performance conditions, affective variables such as self-confidence, and anxiety, students listening ability, topical knowledge, and feedback during pronunciation activities. The study found strategies and methods in dealing with the problem and concluded that drilling, chaining, the direct method of teaching, reading method and teacher facilitation are strategies and methods to improve the pronunciation of English words among the students as they learn pronunciation. The study recommended that students should give more attention to their pronunciation ability during learning and should practice more to improve their pronunciation. Teachers should give more attention to the student’s pronunciation ability in teaching and to analyze deeper the problems of pronunciation and more practical classroom strategies and methods should be used to improve the pronunciation of English words among students.