Phonological instruction in East Asian EFL learning: A scoping review

Abstract

Phonological instruction, comprising phonemic awareness and phonics training, has been demonstrated to be effective in improving the reading ability of English L1 speakers. In terms of the EFL context, although phonological instruction is receiving attention, most studies have focused on European EFL learners, leaving their Eastern counterparts an under-researched area. European and East Asian languages have different characteristics, with the logographic nature of East Asian languages making it more challenging for East Asian learners to learn English. The questions, therefore, remain how phonological instruction is implemented and whether phonological instruction is effective in East Asia. Motivated by these questions, the current scoping review aims to provide an overview of phonological instruction used in East Asia, and provide further information on instructional components and impacts on reading for second/foreign language teachers. The present study reviewed 24 studies from 21 articles. Findings suggest that (a) most included studies were conducted among Chinese L1 primary school learners; (b) the most employed research design is quasi-experimental pre-post-test; (c) phonemic awareness training does not necessarily combine with phonics training in phonological instruction; (d) phonological instruction improves East Asian EFL learners’ code-related, oral language, and reading comprehension skills.