Ralph L. Rose

Accommodating learning styles: An EFL pronunciation course for science and engineering students

This paper describes a course in pronunciation for science and engineering students studying English as a foreign language in Japan. The course is designed to address the pronunciation needs of science and engineering students while simultaneously catering to the sensory, visual, and active learning styles of these students as well as their interest in and higher aptitude for math, physics, and technology. Students are introduced to the sound system of English and use computer-based tools to look at graphic representations of their own voice, comparing it to those of native speakers. Students learn how to diagnose their own pronunciation problems and develop skills so that they may continue their pronunciation development long after the course is finished through autonomous learning.