A Gender-based Approach to Pronunciation Accuracy of Advanced EFL Learners

Abstract

Several variables that believed to be related to pronunciation accuracy have been investigated. However, very few studies have been carried out in this area of learning foreign languages. Subsequently, this study aims to investigate the impact of gender on pronunciation accuracy of advanced Iranian EFL learners and whether male or female learners will outperform in their performance of the pronunciation accuracy of phonological characteristics in their speech production. The pronunciation accuracy of the learners was assessed through reading aloud, a recorded oral test and learners' speech production. Fifty-three advanced EFL learners- including 21 male and 32 female were chosen randomly from among the junior undergraduate university students studying English in Rodaki Institute of Higher Education in Tonekabon, Iran and participated the study. Finally, the data gathered by the experiment of the study analyzed through SPSS software (version 17), and using Independent Samples t-test. The results revealed that female outperform male subjects in producing accurate consonants, but not vowels, that it is not significantly noticeable to result in complete superiority of female over male subjects.