The Effects Of Phonics On Chinese Children’s Pronunciation Development

Phonics is a very popular teaching method in native English speaking countries.However,Chinese students begin to learn English with International Phonetic System.Many students consider it too difficult for them,and lose interest in English.In recent years,Phonics is employed in some developed areas in China as a teaching method for young learners in extra-curricular English classes.This study tries to find out the effects of Phonics on Chinese children’s pronunciation development.This study is a case study.The subject of the study,Allen,is a seven-year-old Chinese boy who has just learnt English for one month from his English teacher at school before Phonics study.Discussions associated with Allen’s pronunciation development during phonics instruction were based on data collected by methods of observation,thinking-aloud,tests and interviews.The analysis of the data showed that there were both positive effects and negative effects.On the one hand,Allen’s English pronunciation improved a lot after Phonics study.Through Phonics learning,Allen established phonological awareness and Allen’s reading stage came into alphabetic phase.Besides,thanks to the positive transfer of Pinyin,it helped Allen to learn Phonics.On the other hand,because of the spelling mode of Phonics,Allen did not have the integral consciousness of sentences,and he read sentences discretely.Taking the positive and negative effects into account,Phonics is fit for English beginners.Thus,English beginners can use Phonics to enlighten English pronunciation,but they still need to learn International Phonetic System to intensify their pronunciation.