Research Information System
14th METU INTERNATIONAL ELT CONVENTION, Ankara, Turkey, 17 - 19 June 2022
Across English-as-a-second and English-as-a-foreign
language (EFL) contexts, literature supports the functionality of phonics
instruction on reading and other early literacy skills (Ehri et al, 2001). Turkey
is an EFL context where English is offered at primary level by Turkey’s
Ministry of National Education without phonological or phonemic awareness
raising activities and materials at public schools. Phonics is more commonly,
yet unsystematically, integrated in private schools’ curricula and
instructional design. In Turkey, English is offered as a subject without
training in noticing the sounds of English language and distinguishing the
sound-letter (phoneme-grapheme) relationships. Reading has mostly been
practiced for comprehension purposes. The
present study systematically reviews sampled reading and educational materials
(N:192) for sound awareness in English to establish a phonics program for early
English. In these publications, the emphases, and instructional
activities/tasks tapping into English language phonological, phonemic, and
morphological awareness for English language learners in Turkey were coded and
analyzed to answer the following:
- In what ways is phonological awareness
tapped into and practiced in the sampled English authentic children’s
storybooks as well as phonics-based publications?
The findings revealed authentic English
picture books were the richest source implicitly tapping into English sound
awareness, specifically rhyme awareness, following instructional phonics
materials which follow an explicit and scaffolding approach to increase English
sound awareness. The study findings inform in-practice English teachers about
the functions of storybooks for increasing English sound awareness of young
learners and EFL program designers for a story-integrated and contextualized
English sound awareness EFL program for primary levels.
Ehri, L. C., Nunes, S. R., Stahl, S. A.,
& Willows, D. M. (2001). Systematic phonics instruction helps students
learn to read: evidence from the national reading panel’s meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 71(3),
393-447. DOI: 10.3102/00346543071003393