After over two decades of teaching and observing English classes for students at all levels, the author has noticed pattern of many Japanese learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as a Second Language (ESL) lacking confidence in their ability to pronounce English words ‘correctly’ when speaking, or to distinguish between similar sounds in English when listening. The author suggests that implicit or explicit stereotype threat related to perceived weaknesses in the ability to produce and recognize certain English sounds is an overlooked area affecting Japanese students. Further, this paper hypothesizes that this stereotype threat can stifle student progress (Steele, C., & Aronson, J. 1995) and willingness to communicate in English, and is worthy of further study.
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