A Study on The Effectiveness of Group Work in English Majors’ Pronunciation Classes at Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry

Pronunciation is, unarguably, an essential factor that decides the success of communication. Poor pronunciation not only affects the speakers’ self - confidence but can also cause a misunderstanding or even communication break - down in the worst case. Consequently, it has gained considerable attention in English learning and teaching. Both teachers and language educators have struggled to make sure their learners can pronounce at the most satisfactory level. A variety of techniques and methods have been discussed. In this paper, the author has examined the advantages of group work as an alternative way to improve English majors’ pronunciation skill in her own educational setting with specific characteristics of its own students. The results show that group work can help increase the learners’ amount of practice time and their engagement in the lessons, boost their learning motivation. Besides, some suggestions have also been made to exploit this technique most efficiently, which include rearrangement of physical setting, applying suitable assessment methods, practical guides and reasonable grouping of students. Due to limited time, resources and the scope of this paper, the study has been done basing on the review and analysis of related literature and the real conditions of her school. However, the findings will certainly bring more insights and serve as encouragement for teachers and educators to apply in similar language teaching contexts.