Effectiveness of Explicit Phonics Instruction to the Reading Fluency of Kindergarten Learners

AUTHOR(S)

KATHERYN NAZARIO-LAUDE

ABSTRACT

——Providing appropriate and meaningful experiences to kindergarten learners leads to the acquisition of knowledge in reading to make them fluent readers in their grade. Teaching reading fluence using explicit phonics instructions challenges kindergarten teachers because this is the foundation stage in the educational life of the learners. Teachers must be careful in teaching reading because this influences their performance and love for reading. Thus, it is in this premise that the researcher conducted this study to evaluate the effectiveness of explicit phonics instruction in improving the reading fluency performance of the kindergarten learners. A quasi-experimental research design employing pre-test and post-test Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) tool and lesson plans using explicit phonics instruction as a strategy in teaching reading fluency to the kindergarten learners coupled with learning activities which emphasize learning fluency were crafted and used. Simple percentage and t-test of mean difference were the statistical tools used to interpret the result of the study. The study revealed a significant difference in the reading fluency performance of the kindergarten learners before and after the utilization of explicit phonics instruction. The unique backgrounds, experiences, abilities and prior knowledge and the explicit phonics instruction used by the teacher contribute to the improvement of reading fluency performance of the kindergarten learners. Thus, the intervention provided by the teacher in teaching reading fluency to the kindergarten learners is effective and recommended to utilized by the teachers in the kindergarten classes. Keywords — Effectiveness, Explicit Phonics Instruction, Reading Fluency, Kindergarten Learners