Assessing suprasegmental phonology instruction in Ibnsaad school in Tlemcen: Case of Stress

Abstract

Poor quality teaching of the suprasegmental phonology in the Algerian secondary school cannot go unnoticed. A scrutiny of the Algerian ‘English as a Foreign Language’ (EFL) classroom can reveal some anomalies and serious deviations in the sound system instruction. The purpose of this research is to examine the ways phonology and phonological stress, in particular, are generally perceived and taught in the Algerian secondary school. To this effect, three research instruments, a questionnaire for teachers, open-ended questions for students, and a structured interview with a general inspector of English were administered. The data collected were carried out quantitatively and qualitatively. The results revealed important deficiencies in phonology instruction, owing to such factors as teaching misconceptions, the teacher’s defective in-service training regarding phonology, and insufficient teaching time allotment. The research concludes with a set of mechanisms that could be embedded in teaching and assessing prosodies to enhance phonology instruction.

Keywords: Assessment; prosodic features; stress; suprasegmental phonology; teaching.