Letter from the Editors
Agata Guskaroska and Mahdi Duris, Iowa State University, Iowa, USA
Dear readers,
As we begin a new year, many of us are asking familiar questions: How can we help our students sound more natural? What role does technology play in pronunciation teaching? How do our own accents and identities shape the classroom? This winter edition brings together four articles that explore these questions from diverse perspectives, offering both theoretical insight and practical guidance for teachers navigating the evolving landscape of pronunciation instruction.
Our first article by Dina Gadieva addresses an issue familiar to many teachers: why do some advanced speakers sound accurate yet are still hard to follow? This article explores how prominence shapes intelligibility and pragmatic meaning in L2 speech, and offers classroom strategies to help learners highlight what matters most.
Carla Bottiglieri explores how women English teachers in Southern Italy negotiate accent, authority, and listening practices in the classroom, showing how pronunciation extends beyond technical accuracy. Her article highlights how voice and spoken interaction become key sites of identity, power, and inclusion in everyday TESOL practice.
Drawing on her background in second language learning and media literacy, Esra Oz Cetindere explores how an AI tool, NotebookLM, can be used for teacher lesson planning and to support learner autonomy. She highlights practical classroom uses of its audio, visual, and interactive features while also addressing limitations that require planning and carefully selected source materials.
Finally, Ahmad Zubaidi Amrullah describes how a novice pronunciation teacher was involved in a four-week pronunciation tutoring project implementing the communicative framework through technology-mediated practice. Through this reflection, he discusses what worked, what did not, and the pedagogical lessons learned from this project. The article highlights the importance of cultivating motivation and learning autonomy beyond this tutoring program.
We are grateful to our contributors for sharing their insights and warmly invite you to join our community by submitting your work for the upcoming edition. Contributions may take the form of articles, books, technology reviews, or lesson plans. The submission deadline for the next issue is May 15.
Wishing you meaningful conversations, winter discoveries, and continued collaboration across our global community. If you are heading to TESOL 2026, please come visit SPLIS at the Interest Section expo at the Salt Palace Convention Center as we join in celebrating TESOL’s 60th anniversary. See you in Salt Lake City!
Warm regards,
Agata and Mahdi
Agata Guskaroska holds a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University (ISU). She has taught EFL/ESL, composition, and online courses, including a MOOC on technology in language teaching. She is the author of the books Teaching Pronunciation with Confidence and Oral Communication for Non-native Speakers of English. Currently, Agata is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at ISU, working on the development and institutional implementation of a new program for International Teaching Assistants. Her research focuses on computer-assisted language learning, pronunciation teaching, and oral communication.
Mahdi Duris is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of English at Iowa State University, where his work bridges Applied Linguistics and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He earned his Bachelor’s from George Mason University, his Master’s in TESL from Saint Cloud State University, and his PhD in Applied Linguistics and Technology from Iowa State University. His postdoctoral research focuses on the role of generative AI in language use, particularly in contexts where AI replaces or enhances human communication, advice-seeking, learning, and expressions of empathy, reasoning, and professional judgment. With over 15 years of ESL and EFL teaching experience in the US and Saudi Arabia, he has also led pedagogical training and mentorship initiatives for language educators.