This document provides an analysis of using alternative pronunciation techniques to improve the English oral skills of 7th grade students at Colegio Técnico Profesional de Pococí in 2016. It begins with background on constructivism and identifies the problem statement, general objective, and specific objectives. It then outlines the variables, research sample, methodology, and analysis/interpretation of results. Key findings include that over 50% of teachers do not use pronunciation techniques and classrooms lack proper tools. Recommendations include training teachers in pronunciation and providing technological tools. It concludes with a proposal to implement pronunciation techniques over 4 months, including introducing IPA and incorporating phonological components into lessons.

1. UNIVERSIDAD MAGISTER
Bach. Mac Alexander Arauz Pérez
Bach. Julio Cesar Alfaro Sáenz
JANUARY 2017
ANALYSIS OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF USING
ALTERNATIVE PRONUNCIATION TECHNIQUES
TO IMPROVE ENGLISH ORAL SKILLS OF 7th
GRADERS AT CTP DE POCOCÍ, 2016

2. CONSTRUCTIVISM
Founded by Jean Piaget
Based on observation and scientific study about how
people learn.
People construct their own understanding and
knowledge of the world, through experiencing things
and reflecting on those experiences.

3. PROBLEM STATEMENT
In order to have an overall understanding of the target
language, it is important to know the gramatical rules as
well as those related to pronunciation. Chomsky (2009)
How bad pronunciation of English affects students
ability to perform well in other areas like Reading,
Speaking and Understanding.
How implementing pronunciation techniques can
improve English oral skills in seventh graders?

4. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To analyze the implications of using alternative
pronunciation techniques to improve English oral
skills of 7th graders at Colegio Técnico Profesional de
Pococí (CTP de Pococí)

5. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
To determine the general characteristics of 7th
graders at CTP de Pococí.
To describe the linguistic improvement of 7th
graders at CTP de Pococí.
To identify the techniques used by teachers to
improve English oral skills.

6. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES (cont.)
To determine how ESL classroom are organized at
CTP de Pococí.
To identify alternative techniques to improve English
oral skills.
To develop a Proposal of techniques for improving
English pronunciation.

7. VARIABLES
Background of students.
Seventh graders general characteristics.
English linguistic improvement.

8. VARIABLES (cont.)
Techniques used by English teachers.
ESL classroom characteristics.
Alternative techniques to improve English oral skills.

9. POCOCÍ, LIMÓN
Pococí is the second Canton of Limón province and
has an extension of 2.4 millions square kms.

10. COLEGIO TÉCNICO PROFESIONAL DE POCOCÍ
Founded in 1969.
Located 2 kms. South from Expo-Pococí in Guápiles.

11. CTP DE POCOCÍ POPULATION
STUDENTS
LEVEL Amount
7 572
8 462
9 325
10 305
11 235
12 178
TOTAL 2077
STAFF
Academic
teachers
80
Technical
teachers
48
Special
Education
9
Admin.
Staff
33
TOTAL 170

12. MISSION
We are an educational institution integrated
into the environment, which ethical
individuals are committed to knowledge, and
personal, vocational and social development,
able to function competitively in their
environment.

13. VISION
To be the best educational institution
committed to building values, offering a
comprehensive education; and is a leader in
technical training, prepared to enter the
competitive and globalized market, with
entrepreneurship and committed to the
environment spirit.

14. RESEARCH SAMPLE
30 seventh graders
3 Technical English teachers

15. THE SPEECH MECHANISM
Understanding where and how the
sounds are pronounced is important
when learning a foreign language.
The speech mechanism refers to the
parts of the body that help the speaker
make sounds. They are also call
articulators or speech organs.

16. THE SPEECH MECHANISM
ARTICULATORS
Lips
Teeth
Tongue
Roof of the
mouth
Nose
Vocal cords
Jaw

17. TYPE OF RESEARCH
Descriptive Research
Exploratory Research
Experimental Research

18. METHODOLOGY OF INVESTIGATION
Mixed
Investigation
Qualitative Quantitative
Observation
Interviews
Questionnaires

19. VARIABLES DEFINITION
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE VARIABLE
1. To determine the general
characteristics of 7th graders at
CTP de Pococí.
1. Background of students.
2. To describe the linguistic
improvement of 7th graders at
C.T.P. de Pococí.
1. English linguistic
improvement.
2. Seventh graders
3. To identify the techniques
used by teachers to improve
English oral skills.
1. Techniques used by English
teachers.

20. VARIABLES DEFINITION (cont.)
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVE VARIABLE
4. To describe ESL classrooms
at CTP de Pococí.
1. ESL classroom
characteristics.
5. To identify alternative
techniques to improve English
oral skills.
1. Alternative techniques to
improve English oral skills.

21. ANALYSIS
AND INTERPRETATION
OF RESULTS

22. Graph No 1. Age of Students
80%
17%
3%
12-13 years old 14-15 years old 16- more years old

23. Graph No 2. Gender of Students
57%
43%
Female Male

24. Graph No 4. Distance from High School
13%
47%
40%
1 km-2 km 3km-4km 5km-more

25. Graph No 5. Students perception regarding
their own English pronunciation.
Good Poor Fair enough
20%
53%
27%

26. Graph No 6. Basic knowledge students have
about the International Phonetic Alphabet.
7%
76%
17%
Yes
No
Some

27. Graph No 7. Opinion of the students on the
techniques teachers implement in the classroom in
order to improve English pronunciation.
20%
50%
30%
Yes No Some

28. Graph No 8. Opinion of the students on including a
pronunciation session in the English classroom.
88%
10%
2%
Important Not important Somehow important

29. Graph No 11. Opinion of the students on their
teachers’ necessity of improvement.
10%
33%
57%
A lot Some Little

30. CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

31. CONCLUSIONS
Students come from difference social, economic
and cultural background.
Seventh graders are between 12 and 16 year and
mostly females.
Students notice their improvement in English
pronunciation.
Interviews showed that more than 50% of teachers
don’t use pronunciation techniques during their
lessons.
ESL classroom are not equipped with proper tools
for teaching pronunciation.

32. RECOMMENDATIONS
All teachers most attend an English Seminar that
focus on Pronunciation at least ones a year.
Educators most teach and assessed students using
the IPA chart, and the correct use of word stress,
rhythm and intonation.
The High School should purchase technological
tools for the conversational classrooms like
projector and voice recorders to enhance teaching
pronunciation lessons.

33. PROPOSAL FOR THE IMPLEMENTION
OF PRONUNCIATION TECHNIQUES
TO IMPROVE ENGLISH ORAL SKILLS
IN 7TH GRADERS AT C.T.P DE
POCOCÍ

34. GENERAL OBJECTIVE
To provide a guide to teach different methods for
teaching English oral skills to 7th graders at Colegio
Técnico Profesional de Pococí.

35. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
To introduce the International Phonetic Alphabet
(IPA) to learners and its different variations.
To incorporate in to actual English plans
phonological components known as vowels,
consonants, and rhythm, stress, intonation and
phonetics rules to students at the beginning of the
year.

36. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES (cont.)
To develop students better understanding of the
correct way for English pronunciation by conducting
practices that contain relevant contextualized
material and including listening sessions as well as
pronunciation production using textbooks and
digital books.
To introduce digital material and computer
applications for students to practice and continue to
improve their oral skills.

37. SCOPE
The main purpose of this project is to implement
different methods to teach pronunciation to
students that are starting high school, regardless if
they have or have not taken English classes
previously.

38. LESSON PLAN OF THE PROPOSAL
This lesson will be taught during the Conversational
Classes or during Technical English for a period of
four months for two hours each week.

39. PROPOSAL COST
MATERIALS QUANTITY
TOTAL COST
(COLONES)
TOTAL COST
(DOLLARS)
CD player 1 80 000 143
CD with phonemes 30 15 000 27
Projector 1 300 000 536
TV 32” 1 130 000 232
Eraser 1 1 000 2
Whiteboard Markers 10 5 000 9
Construction paper 10 packs 10 000 18
Cardboard 10 2500 5
Copies/ Book phonemes 50 p/Ss. 30 000 54
Scissors 4 2 000 4
White paper 1 package 5 000 2
TOTAL 580 500 1 050