The Effectiveness of a Phonological-Awareness Training Program on Improving Word Recognition and Spelling Abilities in EFL of Fourth Grade Primary Students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aims. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of a phonological- awareness training program on  improving word recognition and spelling abilities in EFL of  fourth grade primary students in Saudi Arabia. Participants. The students whose scores on the word recognition and spelling tests fell within ±1 standard deviation of the mean score were selected as the main participants for the study .Sixty students from primary four participated in this study. Two intact classes were selected and were randomly assigned as control and experimental groups, with each group having 30 participants. Methods. An experimental Pretest-Posttest- follow up Control-Group design was used in this study. In this design, two groups are formed by assigning half of the students to the experimental group and half to the control group. Students in the experimental and control groups were pretested, posttested  and tested in follow up session in the same manner and at the same time in the study. Materials. The Picture Vocabulary Size Test and  Spelling Checklist were employed. The phonological- awareness training program was conducted to the whole class by the researcher for 5 weeks with 50 minute sessions conducted three times a week. ANCOVA and T-test  Analyses  were employed for data analysis. Findings. Findings from this study indicated the effectiveness of the program employed in improving word recognition and spelling abilities in EFL  among  the target students. Conclusion. This study goes some way to understanding word recognition and spelling abilities in EFL  of  fourth grade primary students in Saudi Arabia. The study shows that children in the experimental group , compared to those in the control group , develop robust word recognition and spelling due to training in phonological- awareness. The study shows that those young students have great chance of developing their word recognition and spelling abilities.