Pronunciation Learning Strategies to Improve EFL Learners' Pronunciation: The Case of Second-Year EFL Students at Mostaganem University

This master’s dissertation explores the role of pronunciation learning strategies (PLS) in improving the pronunciation skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, focusing on second-year university students at the Department of English, Abdelhamid Ibn Badis University of Mostaganem. Recognizing pronunciation as a key component of intelligible and effective communication, the study investigates both teachers’ and students’ use of strategies aimed at developing accurate English pronunciation among Arabic-speaking learners.Adopting a qualitative research design, the study employs semi-structured and unstructured interviews with phonetics and oral expression teachers as well as EFL students, complemented by structured classroom observations. This mixed qualitative approach allows for a comparison between reported strategy use and actual classroom practices. The analysis draws on established taxonomies of language learning strategies, particularly Oxford’s framework, to classify pronunciation-specific strategies into memory, cognitive, compensation, metacognitive, affective, and social categories.The findings reveal a noticeable gap between perceived and observed strategy use. While teachers and students report limited reliance on certain pronunciation learning strategies, classroom observations indicate a more frequent and implicit use of memory, compensation, and affective strategies. The study highlights the need for explicit instruction in pronunciation learning strategies and greater teacher awareness of how strategy integration can enhance learners’ pronunciation development.This research contributes to the growing body of literature on EFL pronunciation pedagogy, particularly in Arab learning contexts, and offers practical implications for teachers, curriculum designers, and researchers interested in improving pronunciation instruction through strategic learning approaches.Keywords: EFL pronunciation, pronunciation learning strategies, Arabic-speaking learners, qualitative research, EFL pedagogy.