Improving Word Recognition Skills of Five (5) Transferee Pupils in Frustration Level through Extensive Phonemic Awareness Activities

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

A balanced, systematic, and instructional reading program was designed to increase word recognition of reading beginners. The targeted population consisted of five (5) transferee pupils of Dughan ES. The lack of word recognition was documented through assessments revealing students' phonemic awareness, reading fluency, and print awareness.

The study aims to answer the following questions:

What are the common miscues in word recognition skill?

Which area of word recognition miscues is effectively answered by the intervention program?

To what extent does phonemic awareness activities help young children develop their word recognition skill?

METHODS

This study utilized a non-random sampling of graders under the frustration reading level which will be based on the Phl-IRI results. The research instruments used to measure pupils’ word recognition skill was the Dolch's list of basic sight words with checklist for the pupils' response suited for Grade III and Grade V pupils. On the other hand, to measure the word recognition skill of pupils in oral reading, the researchers made use of the standardized Phil-IRI materials. The Dolch word list is a list of frequently used English words compiled by Edward William Dolch, a major proponent of the "whole-word" method of beginning reading instruction. The list contains 220 "service words" that have to be easily recognized in order to achieve reading fluency in the English language. Before the conduct of the study, the researchers asked the permission of the school head to conduct an action research by sending a letter to her office. Subsequently, after the approval of the school head, the researchers met with the advisers of Grade III and Grade V pupils for the orientation on data gathering procedure and schedules.

RESULTS

Analysis of probable cause data revealed that transferee pupils typically lack the skills and strategies necessary for word recognition and reading. The data also revealed that phonemic awareness, reading readiness, print awareness, and parental involvement are critical factors in beginning reading instruction.

DISCUSSIONS

Post-intervention data indicated an increase in students' phonemic and print awareness. The data also showed a substantial improvement in word recognition skills and an increase in the understanding and use of various reading strategies.