Chinese EFL Teachers’ Perception and Practice of Phonics Instruction
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1206.15Keywords:
primary EFL teacher, phonics perception, teaching strategy, teaching effectAbstract
Phonics was introduced to Chinese mainland two decades ago. To gain an empirical insight into teachers’ perception in teaching phonics to EFL students, this study draws upon data from a survey among 213 primary school EFL teachers in two Chinese provinces. The findings indicate that most teachers hold positive attitudes towards phonics, regarding it more as a word-attack skill. The improvement of teachers’ educational background predicts better phonics teaching effect, yet they need systematic phonics knowledge. Besides, teaching material and teaching strategies are greatly correlated with the teaching effect. It concludes that phonics should be integrated into regular textbooks and effective teacher training is significant for better improvement of phonics instruction.
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