THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PHONICS

METHOD
IN TEACHING VOCABULARY AMONG
EARLY READERS TO IMPROVE THEIR
READING SKILLS

AZRIZAL BIN AZAMIR

INSTITUT PENDIDIKAN GURU
KAMPUS TUN HUSSEIN ONN
BATU PAHAT
2015

CONTEXT OF STUDY
Reading is recognized as one of the necessary part of
obtaining a better job and access to knowledge. People
with reading problems would find that their educational
careers are imperilled due to the inability to read. In other
words, reading is a life support system as we need it for all
kinds of purposes (Chitravelu, Sithamparam & Teh Soo
Choon, 1999). The implementations of the Phonics method
can provide a sound grounding in the letters (learning the
shapes and names of letters) and provide sufficient practice
in reading words in isolation or in context. It is also can
lead to automatic word recognition. The pupils will learn on
how to decode words from the Phonics Instruction.

THEORIES AND LITERATURE

REVIEW
Using Whole Word Approach to Teach Reading to Form
One Students with Reading Difficulties in a Selected Rural
Secondary School in Samarahan District of Sarawak. This
research had been conducted by Nur Aleena Ruman binti
Abdullah in 2006. She agreed that the usage of Whole Word
approach is more suitable to the students with knowledge of
reading but for the early readers such as pupils in Year One, the
phonics approach is more suitable and appropriate for them.
A New Experience Teaching Phonemics Awareness A
teacher Action Research by Ivy Ng in June 01, 2006. In her
research she realised all children, especially ELLs, do not develop
phonemic awareness knowledge simply through immersion in a
print-rich environment. They need both play based and teacher
guided oral language activities that focus on developing
sensitivity to the sounds and spoken words, rhymes, made up silly
names by replacing one sound for another and clapping syllables.

THEORIES AND LITERATURE

REVIEW
Teaching EFL Pronunciation: Why, What and How?
This research paper wrote by in 2008 Dr. M. Maniruzzaman
from the Department of English in Jahangirnagar University
of India. In his research he realized that teaching EFL
pronunciation is still peripheral and/or neglected in the
syllabus, material and classroom, especially in Bangladesh.
Phonics for Chinese EFL Learners by Prof Gwendolyn
N. So was a research that discussed about why teaching EFL
(English Foreign Language) must begin with Phonics. He
claimed that Teaching English to EFL learners by beginning
with Phonics has not been given the proper exposure.
Phonics affects every aspect of English learning
pronunciation, spelling, reading, even grammar.

FOCUS OF INVESTIGATION /
ISSUE ON CONCERN
PROBLEM STATEMENT
It was found in my school from Year One to Three, there are still some
pupils who are not able to pronounce correctly even though they
always use the words. The most disappointed moment is when the
pupils keep repeating the same mistake in pronounce words.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RESEARCH

The research finding is important in order to improve the
pronunciation skills of new vocabulary learnt by using the Phonics
method. From the study the teacher should be able to use the Phonics
method as one of the ways in promoting early readers interest to
learn English Language and finally increase their vocabulary. It is
hoped that this approach could change the early readers attitude
towards English Language Learning.

OBJECTIVES OF THE
RESEARCH

1. To find out how the Year Three readers reaction

towards the use of the Phonics method approach.
2. To develop their vocabulary through constant
exposure to Phonics method.
3. To promote interest among pupils in acquiring English
vocabulary.
4. To evaluate the effectiveness of the Phonics method
approach in the teaching process.
5. To accomplish the task of exposing a method to help
the Year Three pupils to able to pronounce and read
the English vocabulary before they proceed to Year
Four.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.Is the Phonics Method approach
appropriate as the teaching tools for
the Year Three pupils as one of the
early readers in school?

2.Are the pupils able to develop their

vocabulary through constant exposure
to Phonics method?

 The

TARGET GROUP /
PARTICIPANTS
research had been conducted in researcher

school in SK LKTP Ayer Hitam, Kluang.

There were two classes of Year Three and the
researcher focused only on the 30 pupils from the
second class.
The respondents were in the average class and it is
reminded that this school is located in the rural area.
The respondents knowledge is limited and they do
not exposed to any reading approaches unless they
went for their early education in school.

TARGET GROUP /
PARTICIPANTS
Respondents reading performance
Respondents ability in pronouncing - 11 respondents
(37%) are good in pronouncing words. 13 respondents
(43%) were able to pronounce in satisfactory level
while

respondents

(20%)

were

really

poor

in

pronouncing. In conclusion, 24 respondents able to

pronounce but they made several or a few mistakes in
pronouncing words. 6 respondents were not able to
pronounce correctly as they were illiterate in reading.
It is also stated that no respondent were able to read
excellently.

INTERVENTION
RESEARCH DESIGN
researcher chose the quasi-experimental design as the
research design. This study involved the pupils in the same
class. The researcher gave a pre-test to the pupils by using
Whole Word approaches and they read and pronounced the
words by using this method. A pre-test conducted before
the teaching and learning session starts. It is used to
evaluate students achievement on the vocabulary chosen.
A post-test was given after the teaching is covered. After
the pre-test, researcher taught the pupils to learn the
Phonics method in four weeks. After completing the task,
the experimental group will be tested again.

instruments
The instruments used included reading the vocabulary list,
phonics instruction, decoding letters and the observation
form. The data was analyzed qualitatively.

INTERVENTION
DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE
The data will be taken from the pre-test, post-test and
observation form.

DATA ANALYSIS
If the respondents be able to answer the test correctly,
one

marks

will

be

given.

If

the

pupils

gave

the

incomplete answer or unable to pronounce clearly, 0

mark will be given. The marks given were used to
measure the improvement after Phonic Method was
used in lesson.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

OF DATA
THE RESULT ANALYSIS FOR THE PRE-TEST
The findings in these pre-test shows that respondents
can recognise the vocabulary that familiar to them but
are not able to decode the letters and read the new
vocabulary shown.

THE RESULT ANALYSIS FOR THE POST-TEST

The findings in these post-test shows that respondents
can recognise the vocabulary that familiar to them and
able to decode the letters and read the new vocabulary
shown.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS

OF DATA
THE DIFFERENCES PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST
Bands

Score

No of

Percentage

Respondents

PRE-TEST

High

17-25

Medium

9-16

17

57%

Low

0-8

13

43%

Total

25/25

30

100%
Bands

Score

No of

Percentage

Respondents

POST-TEST
High

17-25

19

63%

Medium

9-16

11

37%

Low

0-8

0%

Total

25/25

30

100%

ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATIONS OF DATA
THE DIFFERENCES PRE-TEST AND POST-TEST
Mean Value

Mean

Std. Deviation

Pre-Test

Difference
8.87

3.79

Post-Test

19.8

5.69

FINDINGS
This study revealed that pupils in Year Three as the early
readers can adopt Phonics Method in learning reading. The
respondents not only learn more words but they become more
familiar with common spelling patterns of English, which in
turn help them to decode longer words they have never
encountered. In this study, it also showed that to teach the
early readers to read is not impossible not to mention if they
have learned it more earlier such as in Year One. The first step
should be done as a teacher is to find out which method is
suitable for the pupils. The key advantages of this method are
that, Phonics Method teaches children all the main letter
sounds early on and to relate the sound to the symbols and to