Native-like Pronunciation in EFL: Conceptions of Pre-service Teachers Trained in Mainland China compared with those in English-Speaking Countries

Wenjia Xu^*

• The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR China

This study examined pre-service EFL teachers' beliefs about native-like pronunciation by comparing those educated exclusively in mainland China with those who had educational experience in English-speaking countries. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study employed a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. A total of 66 pre-service teachers completed the questionnaire, and 6 participants were selected for follow-up interviews. The quantitative results indicated consistent differences between the two groups. Pre-service teachers with overseas educational experience tended to prioritize fluency and communicative effectiveness over native-like pronunciation in authentic communication, whereas those educated exclusively in mainland China were more likely to place greater emphasis on achieving native-like pronunciation and regard it as an important criterion for teacher professionalism. The qualitative findings further indicated that these divergent beliefs were shaped by multiple factors, including prior educational experiences, career aspirations, and sociocultural environments. This study offers contributions in three dimensions. Firstly, the findings are broadly consistent with theoretical perspectives in second language acquisition and language teaching, such as the Input Hypothesis and Communicative Language Teaching, by illustrating pre-service teachers' beliefs about pronunciation may be related to their educational experiences. Besides, the results suggest that teacher education programs may benefit from greater attention to pronunciation-related ideologies and from encouraging more balanced and context-sensitive approaches to pronunciation instruction. Finally, by situating pronunciation beliefs within broader sociocultural and educational contexts, the study contributes to ongoing cross-cultural discussions of pronunciation norms and pedagogical practices in global English education.