A Study On The Current Situation Of English Pronunciation Learning For Junior High School Students In Grade3

Pronunciation is an important part of English learning.Junior high school is a critical stage in students’ language development,which has a great impact on their further language learning and development of thinking skills in senior high school.The requirements of the New Curriculum Standards and the listening and speaking test newly included into the Shanghai High School Entrance Examination also reflect the importance of pronunciation learning in junior high school.It is of great importance to understand the current situation of their pronunciation learning of junior high school students.Based on segmental and suprasegmental phonological theories,foreign language phonetic learning hypothesis and affective filtering hypothesis,this study adopts methods of tests,questionnaire survey and interviews to explore the English pronunciation level and the current situation of phonetic learning of junior high school students in Grade 3,and analyze the factors that influence their English pronunciation level.The participants in this study are 186 Grade 3 junior high school students from six classes randomly selected from three middle schools in Shanghai,among whom 6students participate in follow-up interviews.The findings of the study show that the students’ overall level of English pronunciation is moderate.The scoring rate of the best-performed phrase reading items is below 80% while sound linking and intonation are common phonetic problems.In English pronunciation learning,students’ pronunciation self-concept is low,i.e.,they are not confident enough to correctly evaluate their pronunciation level,but their learning attitude,learning motivation and learning strategy are generally good.Self-concept,learning cognition,emotional experience,effort and compensation strategies have a significant positive impact on students’ English pronunciation level.Based on the above findings,the author puts forward relevant suggestions for students and teachers to improve students’ pronunciation level and learning efficiency.