The Learning and Teaching of Phonological Decoding in Chinese EFL Children

This book presents the learning and teaching of phonological decoding in Chinese EFL primary classrooms. The phonological decoding ability of the children is described, interpreted, and evaluated, the teaching materials are analyzed and the classroom instruction observed, and the links between these various facets are explored using both quantitative and qualitative techniques (textbook analysis, classroom observations, interviews with teachers and a textbook writer, reading test and nonword reading test). This book provides insights into Chinese children’s phonological decoding profile, including performance in decoding different types of orthographic units, the strategies children at different levels of reading ability use to sound out vowel graphemes, and their decoding ability in relation to reading ability. The investigation of the teaching practices reveals how the decoding instruction is designed, developed, and delivered to the children and thereby informs the interplay between the classroom instruction and children’s development of phonological decoding skills.