Investigating The Effects Of Onset Age And Classroom Learning Time On English Pronunciation Skills Of Chinese Students In Less-developed Rural Areas

The study of age effect on the acquisition of English pronunciation has drawn more and more attention nowadays. In China, English has been introduced in primary schools in some less-developed rural areas for several years, but there are still many problems in students'performance of English pronunciation skills in those areas. Besides, the effects of onset age and classroom learning time on Chinese students'performance of English pronunciation skills in less-developed rural areas lack empirical evidence. Therefore, it is quite necessary to conduct the present study that aims to explore the effects of onset age and classroom learning time on English pronunciation skills in China's less-developed rural areas.The participants were recruited from Lushan No. 6 middle school in Henan Province by questionnaires and interviews and they were divided into four groups according to onset age (early: learning from Primary Three and late: learning from Junior One) and classroom learning time (570 hours and 930 hours). The groups were as follows: Group A—early learners, 570 hours; Group B—late learners, 570 hours; Group C—early learners, 930 hours; Group D—late learners, 930 hours). The participants were instructed to finish the test of English pronunciation skills, in which each participant read all the parts in the material. The author and an English teacher in Foreign Languages College of Chongqing University listened to the recorded responses and scored them. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) by SPSS 16.0 was performed to provide evidence that onset age effect on English pronunciation skills was found, but classroom learning time effect was not found. Moreover, there exist interaction effects of onset age and classroom learning time on learners'English pronunciation skills in less-developed rural areas.Independent samples t-test was used to decide the effects. The results showed that age effect was found on English pronunciation skills for learners who had learned English for 930 hours in less-developed rural areas, but the effect was that late learners performed significantly better than early learners did. However, age effect was not found on English pronunciation skills for those who had learned English for 570 hours. The effect of classroom learning time was found on English pronunciation skills for late learners, that was, late learners with 930 hours'learning performed significantly better than those with 570 hours'learning, but this effect was not found for early learners. Therefore, interaction effects of age and classroom learning time was found among Chinese learners on English pronunciation skills in less-developed rural areas.The reason why there was no significant difference between early and late learners when they had learned English for 570 hours might be due to learners'limited language exposure & teachers'English teaching focus shift. Limited conditions of early English pronunciation learning and low quality of English teachers in primary school might be the interpretation for the absence of effect of classroom learning time on English pronunciation skills among early learners.