Abstract:
This research sought to determine the effectiveness of synthetic phonics instruction
in reading simple words at a public primary school in Thailand. The phonics lessons in
this research were developed to suit the students' proficiency level and learning context.
Lessons were adapted from Jolly Phonics, primarily focusing on short vowel sounds.
The study employed a one-group experimental design. 21 second-grade students were
chosen through convenience sampling. Participants received a pre- and post-test to test
their skills in reading simple basic words before and after learning with this method.
The participants then completed an attitude questionnaire and were interviewed about
their opinions concerning this teaching method. The researcher recorded their behaviors
and participation using fieldnotes. The trial lasted about four weeks, approximately 17
hours of which were used to teach phonics. The quantitative data were analyzed by using
the t-test, Standard Deviation, mean, and percentage. Qualitative data were coded by
themes and grouped.
The results revealed that simple synthetic phonics had a positive effect on students'
reading ability (P=0.00) post-instruction. However, the method was not as effective for
low competency students. The study also identified some of the problems students
encountered while learning. The results will help inform the use of simple synthetic
phonics for Thai students in similar contexts.
Ubon Ratchathani University. The Office of Academic Resources