Phase 2: Evolved Research Question
The information gathered from the 5 Facts Worksheet, World Maps, World Englishes Worksheet, Accent Identification Handout, Accent Identification Reflection Handout, Post-Intervention Questionnaire, and Post-Intervention Interviews shows me that involving students in a practical and relatable manner within an EIL framework alters the majority of their pronunciation goals from native-speaker accents to intelligibility, significantly improves their feelings of confidence in their own accents, and heightens their feelings of membership within the global English community. However, there continues to be a social factor that influences students' speaking skills and that is how native-accents, in particular the American accent, is perceived as "cool" by a significant amount of students. I hypothesize that by creating a student-centered intervention based on defining what the American accent is and exposing students to a variety of accents throughout the U.S., my students' attitude toward the American accent will change, thus allowing them to focus on intelligibility rather than native-like speech.
Therefore...
How can ESOL instructors successfully implement a functional and relatable EIL framework into ESOL classrooms?
- How does implementing a practical EIL framework affect student pronunciation goals?
- How does the use of an EIL framework strengthen feelings of membership within ESOL classrooms?
How does the successful implementation of an EIL framework affect student confidence levels and feelings of inclusion?
- How can ESOL instructors be successful in providing a comprehensive EIL framework that includes an in-depth understanding of a variety of American accents?
- How does exposure to different native-accents affect student pronunciation goals?