MEASURING THE EFFECTS OF JOLLY PHONICS INSTRUCTIONS ON READING SKILLS: A PILOT STUDY ACROSS 12 SELECTED SCHOOLS

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a major issue for second language learners as it affects their academic success. The pilot study aims to measure the effects of Jolly Phonics on reading comprehension of students among 12 selected schools in Gujranwala. This study follows a quasi-experimental research design and it involves participants from six experimental schools and six control schools. Students of English language learners in Pakistan, often face difficulties in reading comprehension due to poor vocabulary, lack of decoding skills, and no phonemic awareness. Experimental school children were taught with synthetic phonics instructions while the control group was taught through traditional reading methods. Reading skills is yet a challenging issue especially for school going children. The findings of the study revealed that the students who receive the synthetic phonics method show fluency and improvement in their reading skills than those school children who are taught in the traditional way. The result of the study suggests that implementation of synthetic phonic methods in classroom context and teaching strategies can actually enhance the reading comprehension of learners. It informs researchers to design reading assessment tools and the education policy makers to design curriculum considering students' poor reading comprehension.