Effect of Phonics Instructional Method on Interest and Achievement of Primary School Pupils in Reading

Abstract

The study is on effect of phonics instructional method on pupil’s achievement and interest in reading. The achievement and interest of pupils taught with phonics instructional method were compared with those taught with conventional look and say instructional method. Six research questions were posed and six null hypotheses formulated to guide the study. The study adopted a quasi-experimental design. Specifically, the non-randomised control group design was used. The area of the study was Awka South local Government Area of Anambra State. The population of the study comprised 11,346 primary two pupils. The sample for this study comprised hundred and sixteen (116) primary two pupils in Awka South LGA of Anambra state and simple random sampling technique was used to draw the sample of the study from the population. Two instruments were used for data collection. They are the English Reading Achievement Test (ERAT) and English Language Reading Interest Scale (ELRIS). The instruments were face validated, but ERAT was further subjected to content validation. Subsequently, the instruments were trial tested for the purpose of determining their reliability. The internal consistency of ERAT was computed and it yielded reliability index of 0.88. The internal consistency reliability of ELRIS `was determined using the responses of 30primary two pupils. An internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.84 was determined for the instrument using Cronbach alpha formula. The treatment lasted for five weeks. After the treatment session, the same instruments were administered to the subjects to obtain the post-test scores. The research questions were answered using mean scores, while the hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of significance. The results indicated that pupils taught reading using the phonics instructional method achieved significantly higher than those taught with the look and say method. This means that the phonics instructional method proved better to the look and say method in promoting pupils’ achievement and interest in reading. Gender had no significant influence on pupils’ achievement and interest in reading. The male and female pupil maintained almost the same level of interest in reading. The interaction effects of instructional method and gender on pupils’ achievement and interest were not statistically significant. Following the discussion of the results, conclusions were drawn and educational implications of the findings were highlighted. It was recommended, among others, that English language teachers should adopt the phonics instructional method as an alternative to the look and say instructional method in teaching reading. Also, workshops, conferences and seminars should be organised for English language teachers by education authorities on the use of phonics instructional method in teaching reading in English language.