Class system using the IPA to improve phonemes (/n/, /ŋ/) in english

Abstract

This research aims to improve the pronunciation of the English phonemes /n/ and /ŋ/ in students of 7th grade, class “A”, at NA school General Basic Education during the 2025–2026 academic year, through the implementation of a class system based on the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The study is framed within the existing problems in the Ecuadorian education system, where the teaching of English tends to focus on grammatical aspects, neglecting phonetic and oral development, which has a direct impact on the intelligibility and communicative competence of students. The study recognizes pronunciation as a crucial skill in learning English as a foreign language and identifies persistent challenges in the Ecuadorian educational context, including traditional teaching approaches, limited phonetic instruction, and a lack of dynamic didactic resources. Applying a quantitative, non-experimental, crosssectional, and descriptive methodology, diagnostic evaluations, interviews, and classroom observations were conducted to assess students’ pronunciation level. The results revealed considerable difficulties in articulating and recognizing the target phonemes. In response, a phonetics-based class system using the IPA was developed and implemented to strengthen both articulatory and auditory awareness, and to improve oral communication skills.The findings demonstrate that incorporating the IPA as a didactic resorce is effective in enhancing students’ pronunciation. This proposal serves as a replicable educational model to improve English pronunciation through innovative and structured teaching strategies.