A Survey Of The Choice Of Phonetic Systems In High School EFL Phonetics Teaching

As can be seen from the current Senior High School EFL Curriculum Standards, EFLphonetics instruction is one of the important areas of senior high school EFL teaching.Naturally, understanding the status quo of the choice of phonetic systems and its impacts is ofgreat relevance to the reform of EFL phonetics teaching and the enhancement of EFL teachingquality. Up to now, however, few empirical studies have been conducted concerning seniorhigh school EFL phonetics instruction and especially the choice of phonetic systems and itsimpacts. With the students and teachers of Yantai No.3Middle School as subjects, in the lightof relevant language teaching, phonetic and phonologic theories, and through such empiricalmeasures as questionnaire, interview and observation, the present author accordingly conductsa relatively detailed survey of the choice of phonetic systems and its impacts in senior highschool EFL phonetics teaching.Firstly, the author carries out a survey, through an especially designed questionnaire, of125first year senior high school students from Yantai No.3Middle School in terms of whatphonetic systems they have acquired, what systems they have access to, what systems theythink they have acquired, what systems they prefer, and how they feel about current phoneticsteaching. Results generated from the analysis of data show that most of the subjects haveacquired British English phonetics though they are usually exposed to American phoneticsand that most of them think they have mastered a blended system but they prefer AmericanEnglish phonetics and expect a reform of current EFL phonetics instruction.Secondly, the author conducts an especially designed interview of10teachers in chargeof the teaching of EFL to first year senior high school students in terms of their choice ofphonetic systems and its impacts. Results demonstrate that, though most of the teachersthemselves are users of British English phonetics, they actually present to their students ahybrid system chiefly based on British English phonetics as they are usually provided withmaterials based on American English phonetics, and that most of the teachers think theyshould adopt American English phonetics but they do not view phonetics teaching seriously.Thirdly, the present author also finds through an observation of actual teaching that senior high school teachers and students generally neglect the teaching and learning of EFLphonetics, which tends to be nonsystematic and which only occupies a very limited proportionof EFL teaching and learning.Practically, the findings of this survey may be significant to changing the status quo ofthe choice of phonetic systems in senior high school EFL phonetics teaching, and therebypromoting the reform of and enhancing the quality of senior high school EFL teaching.Meanwhile, this survey may also be academically valuable to senior high school EFL teachingresearch as it may hopefully compensate for the lack of empirical studies concerning thechoice of phonetic systems and its impacts.