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Article published In: Language Teaching for Young Learners
Vol. 7:1 (2025) ► pp.29–61

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Original Research Article

Designing L2 pronunciation instruction activities for primary school learners

A content analysis of ELT textbooks used in China

 | Fudan University
Published online: 21 October 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/ltyl.00060.gao
Abstract
This study employs a content analysis approach to examine the presentation of pronunciation instruction (PI) activities in six elementary school English language teaching (ELT) textbook series used in China. Among the textbooks analyzed, two series are published in English-speaking countries for commercial use, while two are published in China for public schools. The remaining two series are jointly released by Chinese and UK publishers, and are utilized in schools at Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Categorizing the PI‑related activities based on the framework by Levis, J. M., & Echelberger, A. (2022). Integrating pronunciation into language instruction. In J. M. Levis, T. M. Derwing, & S. Sonsaat-Hegelheimer (Eds.) Second language pronunciation: Bridging the gap between research and teaching (pp. 19–41). Wiley-Blackwell. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar, the author discovered that PI is predominantly integrated into listening and speaking activities. The study highlights the evolving design of PI activities in relation to learners’ ages, reflecting the individual preferences and beliefs of textbook developers. Notably, most of the surveyed textbook series acknowledge the effectiveness of phonics for teaching pronunciation, yet the use of phonetic alphabet remains minimal. Young learners are encouraged to grasp pronunciation rules through exposure and observation rather than through direct “top-down” instruction from teachers.
This research provides language educators with additional resources for classroom activities and offers textbook writers diverse insights for material development work in the future.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1L2 pronunciation instruction (PI) approaches and methods
    • 2.2Material development guidelines to address teachers’ concerns
    • 2.3Textbook analysis for pedagogical support in classroom
  • 3.Methods
  • 4.Research findings
    • Research Question 1: How are L2 PI activities categorized and presented in primary school ELT textbooks frequently used in China?
    • Research Question 2: How do L2 PI activities vary in terms of quantity and type across different textbook series?
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion and implication
  • 7.Limitations
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (100)
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