ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the overall framework and research structure of this book. Underlining the slower progress of foreign language teaching in ethnic areas in China, this chapter introduces the research background and significance of studying foreign language acquisition among minority students in China, particularly focusing on ethnic minority students. The chapter emphasizes the importance of considering students' native language and second language (L2), in this case, Chinese, when exploring their foreign language acquisition process. It also touches on the challenges posed by differing phonological and orthographic structures in Uyghur, Chinese and English. Ultimately, this research aims to shed light on the development of Uyghur children's phonological awareness, the impact of bilingual experience and the role of targeted phonetic training in their trilingual literacy development.
