The article, titled “Revisiting Pronunciation Instruction in Tertiary EFL Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review of Studies Published Between 2015 and 2025,” was written by Cherry Alifya, Leroy Holman Siahaan, and Lenny Solo from the English Education Program at Panca Sakti Bekasi University. The systematic review was conducted from February to July 2026 using the PRISMA 2020 framework.
Why Pronunciation Still Matters in Higher Education
Pronunciation is a fundamental part of spoken communication because it affects how clearly listeners understand English. For university students learning English as a foreign language, grammatical and vocabulary knowledge alone may not be enough to communicate effectively if spoken pronunciation is difficult to understand.
The researchers note that pronunciation has historically received less attention than grammar, vocabulary, reading, and general speaking activities. Teachers may also face challenges involving pronunciation knowledge, confidence, teaching materials, classroom time, and access to instructional resources.
These challenges are particularly important in higher education. University students increasingly use English for presentations, classroom discussions, interviews, teaching practice, international communication, and future professional activities.
Modern pronunciation teaching has also moved away from simply attempting to produce a “native-like” accent. Instead, greater emphasis is placed on intelligibility and communicative effectiveness—helping learners speak clearly enough to be understood.
How the Review Was Conducted
Alifya, Siahaan, and Solo analyzed published research rather than collecting data directly from students or teachers. The researchers searched ERIC, Google Scholar, and citation sources using terms related to pronunciation instruction, pronunciation teaching, pronunciation training, pronunciation pedagogy, pronunciation learning, and second-language pronunciation.
The search initially produced 302 records:
- 94 records from ERIC
- 200 records from Google Scholar
- 8 records from citation searching
After six duplicate records were removed, 296 records remained for title and abstract screening. The researchers excluded 258 records, leaving 38 reports for retrieval. Twenty-four reports could not be retrieved, while 14 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility. Two additional reports were excluded because one was a conference proceeding and another was conducted outside a tertiary education setting.
The final review included 12 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2025.
The researchers used descriptive and thematic analysis to identify publication patterns, geographical distribution, research designs, instructional approaches, findings, and research gaps. They also used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to assess methodological quality and VOSviewer to examine keyword relationships.
Six Major Approaches Identified
The review found six major approaches to pronunciation instruction in tertiary EFL contexts.
1. Technology-assisted pronunciation instruction
Technology has become an increasingly important part of pronunciation teaching. Computer-Assisted Pronunciation Training (CAPT), information and communication technology, digital practice, and automated feedback can provide students with additional opportunities to practice pronunciation.
Studies reviewed by the researchers reported positive outcomes from technology-supported pronunciation practice. However, successful implementation depends on teacher readiness, technological access, and institutional support.
2. Explicit instruction and phonetic awareness
Direct instruction about pronunciation features and phonetic representation can improve students’ awareness of how English sounds are produced. However, the researchers emphasize that knowledge of phonetic symbols and pronunciation rules is more useful when connected to actual speaking practice and meaningful communication.
3. Classroom-based pronunciation pedagogy
Pronunciation learning is influenced by classroom materials, activities, teacher decisions, curriculum requirements, available resources, and instructional time. This means pronunciation teaching cannot be viewed only as a collection of individual classroom techniques.
4. Teacher professional development and cognition
Teachers play a central role in pronunciation instruction. Their beliefs, knowledge, confidence, and professional experiences influence how pronunciation is taught. Professional development can strengthen teachers’ pronunciation knowledge and help them make better instructional decisions.
5. Learner-centered pronunciation learning
Learners’ beliefs, experiences, engagement, and learning strategies also influence pronunciation development. However, many studies rely heavily on self-reported information. The researchers therefore call for more research connecting learners’ perceptions with measurable changes in pronunciation performance.
6. Intervention-based pronunciation instruction
Intervention studies provide more direct evidence of whether particular teaching approaches improve pronunciation. The review identified positive outcomes from CAPT-based training and an intuitive-imitative pronunciation intervention. However, only a small number of intervention studies were available.
Research Is Moving Toward Technology and Effectiveness
The review identified a clear change in research priorities over the 2015–2025 period.
Earlier studies largely focused on teacher and learner beliefs, curriculum representation, and classroom practices. Research published around 2019–2021 increasingly examined learner experiences, learning strategies, classroom processes, and teacher professional development.
More recent research, particularly from 2024 and 2025, has placed greater attention on technology integration, phonetic resources, instructional innovation, and empirical evaluation.
The researchers describe this as a gradual movement from descriptive and perception-based research toward broader questions about technology, teacher development, and instructional effectiveness.
Major Gaps Remain
Despite the growing interest in pronunciation instruction, the evidence base remains uneven.
Of the 12 studies reviewed, seven were qualitative studies (58.3%), two were quantitative (16.7%), one used mixed methods (8.3%), and two used experimental or quasi-experimental designs (16.7%).
The geographical distribution was also uneven. The studies covered eight countries—Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Jordan, Türkiye, and Ecuador—with considerable representation from Asian EFL contexts.
The researchers identified three major research gaps: limited longitudinal and intervention research, geographical imbalance, and insufficient direct comparisons between instructional approaches.
Long-term evidence is especially limited for technology-assisted pronunciation instruction. More research is needed to determine whether digital tools produce sustained improvements and whether they outperform conventional pronunciation instruction.
Implications for Universities and Teachers
The findings suggest that effective pronunciation instruction requires more than simply adding technology to the classroom.
According to Alifya, Siahaan, and Solo of Panca Sakti Bekasi University, pronunciation instruction should be understood as a multidimensional field in which pedagogy, technology, teacher expertise, learner engagement, curriculum, and learning outcomes interact.
For teachers, this means combining explicit pronunciation knowledge with meaningful communicative practice. Technology can provide additional practice and feedback, but it should support—not replace—sound pedagogical design.
For universities, the findings point to the importance of professional development, appropriate teaching resources, and sufficient curriculum time for pronunciation learning.
The researchers also recommend larger, longitudinal, comparative, and mixed-methods studies involving more diverse tertiary EFL contexts. Future research could pay particular attention to automated pronunciation feedback and artificial intelligence as emerging tools for pronunciation learning.
About the Authors
Cherry Alifya, Leroy Holman Siahaan, and Lenny Solo are affiliated with the English Education Program, Panca Sakti Bekasi University. Their work in this article focuses on English language education, particularly pronunciation instruction and research in tertiary EFL contexts. The academic degrees of the authors are not specified in the published article provided for this report.
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