Motivation and acquisition of pronunciation in EFL students in El Salvador

This study examines the effect of pronunciation instruction and motivation in the acquisition of second language pronunciation in EFL students in El Salvador. Eighteen participants were given a pronunciation pre-test and a post-test. They received 20 minutes of pronunciation training each day for fifteen days. The training focused on the pronunciation of two different English sounds, /[O with line through the middle]/ and /-ed/ endings for the past of the regular verbs. The participants also completed a self-report motivation questionnaire containing nine different variables. Three different statistical analyses were used to analyze the data collected: paired t-tests, Cronbach\u27s Alpha coefficient of reliability, and multiple regression analysis. Two native speakers of English scored the pre-test and post-test. The results showed a significant improvement of the participants\u27 pronunciation of the target features. However, no correlation was found between the participants improvement in pronunciation and the variables included in the motivation questionnaire