محمدرضا شمس الدینی

The aim of the present study was to explore EFL teachers' knowledge of basic language constructs. Investigating teacher knowledge is critical in predicting students' success and/or failure in future. Therefore, an adapted version of Basic Language Constructs Survey was administered to thirty phonics teachers from five English institutions in Shiraz. The survey consisted of knowledge and ability items in three areas: phonics, phonological, and phonemic awareness. The results revealed that phonics teachers' overall performance on basic language construct items were below an acceptable standard, with the highest score being 23 out of a possible 35 on the questionnaire. The participants' major weakness was found in phonics questions, though they showed limited knowledge on the other two areas as well. The results of this study suggest that phonics teachers need to be more knowledgeable in early reading instruction as they are responsible for instructing beginning readers in an EFL context. The findings can benefit educational stakeholders' decisions in the process of teacher selection and preparation programs.