Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China

Learning English has a significant positive impact on China's growth, especially in light of the country's recent three decades of reform and opening-up policies. The standard for Chinese students' English pronunciation to be comprehensible is higher since English pronunciation is cru...

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Main Authors: Zhang, Yan Mei, Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah, Fatiha Senom
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024
Online Access:http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/1/AD%204.pdf
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author Zhang, Yan Mei
Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah,
Fatiha Senom,
author_facet Zhang, Yan Mei
Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah,
Fatiha Senom,
author_sort Zhang, Yan Mei
building UKM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Learning English has a significant positive impact on China's growth, especially in light of the country's recent three decades of reform and opening-up policies. The standard for Chinese students' English pronunciation to be comprehensible is higher since English pronunciation is crucial for communication. However, English pronunciation is still a challenge for English major students. This article reports on multiple case studies of three Chinese English major students’ lived experiences of English pronunciation investments across different contexts, including inside and outside the classroom. The study adopts a qualitative research approach where multiple data sources such as semi-structured in-depth interviews with the participants; classroom observations, diaries, and documents, yielded thick descriptions of participants’ English pronunciation learning. The interview data was transcribed and then analyzed using N-Vivo 12. The results showed that students with varying levels of English pronunciation competency held two different opinions about English pronunciation, influencing their varied investments in English pronunciation in various circumstances. Norton's concept of investment informed these conclusions. Meanwhile, personal agency responding to particular contextual situations also impacts their strategic L2 investments. This article calls for the importance of a holistic understanding of students’ English pronunciation learning in and out of the classroom for an in-depth understanding of the complexities of learners varied English pronunciation investments.
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spelling oai:generic.eprints.org:246922025-01-10T00:45:09Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/ Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China Zhang, Yan Mei Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah, Fatiha Senom, Learning English has a significant positive impact on China's growth, especially in light of the country's recent three decades of reform and opening-up policies. The standard for Chinese students' English pronunciation to be comprehensible is higher since English pronunciation is crucial for communication. However, English pronunciation is still a challenge for English major students. This article reports on multiple case studies of three Chinese English major students’ lived experiences of English pronunciation investments across different contexts, including inside and outside the classroom. The study adopts a qualitative research approach where multiple data sources such as semi-structured in-depth interviews with the participants; classroom observations, diaries, and documents, yielded thick descriptions of participants’ English pronunciation learning. The interview data was transcribed and then analyzed using N-Vivo 12. The results showed that students with varying levels of English pronunciation competency held two different opinions about English pronunciation, influencing their varied investments in English pronunciation in various circumstances. Norton's concept of investment informed these conclusions. Meanwhile, personal agency responding to particular contextual situations also impacts their strategic L2 investments. This article calls for the importance of a holistic understanding of students’ English pronunciation learning in and out of the classroom for an in-depth understanding of the complexities of learners varied English pronunciation investments. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2024-12 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/1/AD%204.pdf Zhang, Yan Mei and Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah, and Fatiha Senom, (2024) Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China. AJTLHE: ASEAN Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 16 (2). pp. 271-296. ISSN 1985-5826 https://ejournal.ukm.my/ajtlhe/issue/view/1788
spellingShingle Zhang, Yan Mei
Shanina Sharatol Ahmad Shah,
Fatiha Senom,
Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China
title Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China
title_full Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China
title_fullStr Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China
title_full_unstemmed Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China
title_short Investment in English pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of English major students in mainland China
title_sort investment in english pronunciation learning: a multiple case study of english major students in mainland china
url http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/
http://journalarticle.ukm.my/24692/1/AD%204.pdf