phonics versus whole language in teaching efl to young learners: a micro-ethnographic study

Teaching english as a foreign language (efl) to young learners is gaining increasing significance given many parents’ interest in efl learning by their pre-school children. in this micro-ethnographic study, in light of a long-held debate in literacy education, we examine the nature of the little-explored current practices of efl teaching to young learners from the two instructional perspectives of phonics (ph) and whole language (wl). data collection was carried out through micro-ethnographic observation of an efl teacher training course for teachers of young learners as well as four classes at a private language institute in tehran over a period of three months. data bodies, including audio-recordings, fieldnotes, reflective memos, teaching materials, and young learners’ writings were analyzed based on a grounded theory perspective. the findings illustrate detailed accounts of teaching and learning involvements in this context and indicate that the instructional practices labeled as ph-based teaching are in fact an uneven mix of ph and wl. on this basis, we argue that a conscious and coherent combination of perspectives from the two approaches can provide opportunities for more balanced teaching and more meaningful efl learning experiences. on this basis, we argue that a conscious and coherent combination of perspectives from the two approaches can provide opportunities for more balanced teaching and more meaningful efl learning experiences.