“Phonics generalizations” in teaching foreign language pronunciation

Abstract

Introduction. The Phonics method is commonly applied to teach the logical association of English phonemes and graphemes to young native learners. As the correspondence between pronunciation and spelling in English is considered rather difficult by non-native learners, the Phonics method could find its important place in foreign language classrooms as well. The Phonics method is rather new in the Slovak educational context. Therefore, we wanted to find out what is the Phonics method awareness and application rate among English language teachers in Slovakia. Materials and Methods. To answer the research questions, the methods of questionnaire and semi-structured interview were used in the sample of 92 Slovak teachers of English. Results. It was found out that only half of the teachers know the Phonics method and less than a quarter of teachers apply it in their English classes. Conclusions. As the Phonics method rules (Phonics Generalizations) can help non-native learners learn English pronunciation and spelling more effectively, more information on the method should be incorporated into both pre-service and in-service teacher training curricula.