Trial of Synthetic Phonics extended to Storybook Reading to Improve Reading Skills of Indonesian Third Graders Enrolled in a Bilingual School

Abstract

Studies have shown that phonics instruction improves reading skills, with noticeable word recognition and pronunciation results. Despite the intensive use of this method in English countries, phonics has not been introduced or is minimally taught in Indonesian primary schools' English reading classes, where the teaching is mainly focused on text comprehension. This study aims to trial a systematic instruction in synthetic phonics to see whether the trial helps students improve their pronunciation and comprehension skills. Thirty-third graders from an Indonesian bilingual school and their English teachers were selected to participate in a sixmonth trial of synthetic phonics instruction, extended to a storybook reading programme. Pre-and post-experimental design was employed to measure the trial's effectiveness. Teachers' interviews and students' questionnaires were used to understanding their perspectives on the trial's benefits and feasibility for further implementation. The findings revealed that the trial accelerated students' decoding skills and improved word pronunciation and text comprehension. Another test of a paired sample t-test also highlighted the trial's significance (sig .01). Students also shared their experiences of improved vocabulary, confidence and enjoyment. The teachers agreed on the benefits of the trial. Still, they were unsure how to deliver the instruction in regular classroom sessions since it required long and vigorous direct teaching. Findings from this trial were not generalizable to EFL reading classes in Indonesian primary schools as it was tried out in a bilingual school where phonics was minimally introduced. However, the findings generally indicated the program's feasibility which can be re-tested.

The Situation of English Pronunciation in Primary Education Classrooms in Spain

“…From the analysis of the results, we were struck by the fact that teachers attached great importance to speaking, but not so much to pronunciation, a skill which, together with writing, they preferred to avoid if they were short of time. However, many teachers considered pronunciation to be very important in language teaching since acquiring accurate pronunciation in the foreign language is vital for successful communication skills (Wahyuni, 2022).…”

“…And the types of activities they used to work on pronunciation varied widely, although listening to and repeating activities and songs dominated. We need to foster pronunciation in children under 12 because that is considered the most age-efficient in learning good pronunciation as Wahyuni (2022) speaker's accuracy in pronunciation when they have been given the opportunity to learn the foreign language and have been provided with adequate exposure to the target language.…”

Achieving reading skills in a group of EFL Ecuadorian children through English phonics

“…On the other hand, adopting a narrative to assist young EFL learners in improving their reading is a valuable strategy (Wahyuni, 2022). Similarly, employing technology to aid with phonics acquisition is vital.…”

“…Reading skills are improved by phonics teaching (Wahyuni, 2022). Moreover, Othman et al (2014) pointed out that it is critical to acquire solid reading comprehension skills beginning in primary school.…”

“…Furthermore, several research has shown that reading development plays a critical role in adopting a better speller and reader to create better writing and grammar in English. (Krashen, 2004(Krashen, , 2007Lee, 2007;Cho & Krashen, 2019) cited in (Wahyuni, 2022). Correct pronunciation and intonation are critical components of learning to read.…”