Abstract:

The Malaysian Ministry of Education has included pronunciation as part and parcel of English language learning in both primary and secondary schools. The general syllabi for both levels clearly indicate which level to be acquired by students. However, in the actual teaching, teachers focus more on the content of the lesson for the sake of examination, instead of the pronunciation skills. As a result, even though students have learned English for six years in primary school and five years in secondary school, they are still not able to pronounce proficiently. This situation has worried parents, educational policymakers and teachers. Beginning 2000, literature component has been introduced into English language learning in order to improve students’ English language proficiency. After 10 years of its implementation, there are still concerns regarding students’ level of English language proficiency and university leavers who are not proficient in the language. This paper attempts to present an implementation of a pronunciation module through poetry lesson in enhancing students’ speaking skills. The study reveals that teachers found the module helpful in enhancing students’ skills in English language pronunciation.

Keywords:

ESL, Pronunciation, Malaysian English, Secondary Education.