The Effectiveness of an Instructional Guide on Chinese Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Knowledge in Teaching Phonics

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen

Phonics instruction has been emphasized in China since the 2011 National English Curriculum for Compulsory Education, yet many learners’ outcomes remain weak. A key cause is EFL teachers’ insufficient knowledge of phonics and the lack of a dedicated phonics instructional guide. This experimental study evaluates the impact of a newly developed guide on Chinese pre-service EFL teachers’ phonics knowledge. A total of 172 pre-service teachers were tested before and after a 15-hour intervention, using seven knowledge dimensions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

1. Introduction

2011 National English Curriculum emphasis on phonics

Challenges from insufficient teacher phonics knowledge

Teachers’ difficulties with phonics content and teaching confidence

554 | Studies in English Language and Education, 9(2), 554-573, 2022 The Effectiveness of an Instructional Guide on Chinese Pre-Service EFL Teachers’ Knowledge in Teaching Phonics Minjie Chen1,2 Hock Seng Goh*,1 Ruey Shing Soo3 Guojie Yin2 1Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, Perak, 35900, MALAYSIA 2Mianyang Teacher’s College, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province, 621000, PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 3Faculty of Language and Communication, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, 94300, MALAYSIA Abstract In China, phonics instruction has been given substantial emphasis ever since the implementation of the 2011 National English Curriculum for Compulsory Education. However, many Chinese students’ learning outcome remains unsatisfactory due to EFL teachers’ insufficient knowledge to teach phonics and the absence of a phonics instructional guide. To address this gap, this study aims to investigate the effects of a newly developed phonics instructional guide on Chinese pre-service EFL teachers’ knowledge base to teach phonics. Adopting an experimental research design, the study was conducted at a teachers’ college in Sichuan Province, China. There were 172 pre-service EFL teachers assigned into two equivalent groups, namely the experimental group (N=86) and control group (N=86), who took a test respectively before and after the intervention. The measures of the test included seven dimensions aiming toelicit knowledge of general phonics, phonetic system, phonemic awareness, phonics decoding rules, phonics instructions, reinforcement methods, and sight word instructions. The experimental group participants * Corresponding author, email: [goh.hs@fbk.upsi.edu.my](goh.hs@fbk.upsi.edu.my) Citation in APA style: Chen, M., Goh, H. S., Soo, R. S., & Yin, G. (2022) . The effectiveness of an instructional guide on Chinese pre-service EFL teachers’ knowledge in teaching phonics. Studies in English Language and Education, 9(2), 554-573. Received September 21, 2021; Revised January 15, 2022; Accepted April 16, 2022; Published Online May 23, 2022 [https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i2.22780](https://doi.org/10.24815/siele.v9i2.22780) M. Chen, H. S. Goh, R. S. Soo & G. Yin, The effectiveness of an instructional guide on Chinese pre-service EFL teachers’ knowledge in teaching phonics | 555 undertook a 15-hour phonics training course using the newly developed Phonics Instructional Guide (PHOInG). The control group participants were taught using a conventional method involving the use of an English textbook prescribed by the college. Results revealed that the Chinese preservice EFL teachers in the experimental group improved significantly in their overall knowledge base of English phonics and phonics instruction, except for phonemic awareness and knowledge of the phonetic system. These findings point to the importance of using a needs-based and theoretically informed instructional guide when providing phonics and phonics instruction training to Chinese EFL pre-service teachers. Keywords: Phonics instruction, pre-service EFL teachers, instructional guide, knowledge base. 1. INTRODUCTION The Chinese educational reform which took place in 2011 witnessed a call for a change in English language teaching when phonics instruction was given a greater emphasis in the newly launched National English Curriculum for Compulsory Education (NECCE). This is especially applicable for primary school students who are in their grade 1 to grade 6 of elementary education. Fundamentally, following this new curriculum, EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students are highly expected to master 26 letters in the English alphabet with basic concepts of phonemic awareness and the ability to grasp the basic letter-sound relationship to attain automaticity in word recognition. This grapho-phonics cueing system is essential in the ea

FAQs

What problem does the study target regarding phonics instruction in China?

Many Chinese learners still achieve unsatisfactory outcomes because EFL teachers have insufficient knowledge to teach phonics and there is no dedicated phonics instructional guide.

How was the instructional guide intervention implemented in the study?

The study used an experimental design with 172 pre-service EFL teachers split into experimental and control groups, with testing before and after a 15-hour intervention.

What were the key findings about the experimental group’s knowledge development?

The experimental group improved significantly in overall phonics knowledge and phonics instruction, except for phonemic awareness and knowledge of the phonetic system.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by McQueen