Junior High School English Teachers’ Beliefs about 7th Graders’ Transition between Phonics and K. K. Phonetic System: A Case Study in Pingtung

• Main Authors: Chang, Wan-Jou, 張婉柔
• Other Authors: Lan, Shu-Wen
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/d5qe83

碩士 === 國立屏東科技大學 === 應用外語系所 === 106 === This study aimed to explore junior high school English teachers’ beliefs about student learning phonics and K. K. phonetic system and investigate their support for 7th graders’ transition between phonics and K. K. phonetic system. Through a qualitative case study, this study interviewed six participants in Pingtung to provide the in-depth understanding and description of their beliefs and teaching strategies. In addition to the data collected from two semi-structured interviews, the researcher also collected audio files, field notes and instructional materials. The findings have shown that the teachers claimed the accuracy of pronunciation played an essential role in junior high school English pronunciation instruction; furthermore, they highlighted that they preferred using K. K. phonetic system as a means to support the 7th grade students’ transition from Phonics to K. K. phonetic system. Additionally, the results also revealed that junior high school English teachers’ past learning experiences have influenced their pronunciation instruction in summer transition courses. Finally, this study’s results have indicated that junior high school English teachers encountered some challenges in carrying out 7th graders’ transition between phonics and K. K. phonetic system such as insufficient time, lack of 7th grade K.K. phonetic system linking curriculum, no mandatory attendance for summer transition courses and students with low English proficiency. Such suggestions may provide more implications for English language teaching and research.