UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

USING PHONIC TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE READING SKILL OF BASIC FOUR PUPILS

OF LARABANGA E/A BASIC SCHOOL

SUL-LE NURUDEEN

2021
 UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA

FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES

DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION

USING PHONIC TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE READING SKILL OF BASIC FOUR PUPILS

OF LARABANGA E/A BASIC SCHOOL

SUL-LE NURUDEEN

5170030059

AN ACTION RESAERCH SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION

IN THE FACULTY OF EDUCATIONAL STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION,

WINNEBA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

BACHELLOR OF DEGREE IN BASIC EDUCATION (B. ED EDUCATION).

JULY, 2021
 DECLARATION

Student Declaration

I, Sul-le Nurudeen do hereby declare that, except references made from other peoples work which

have been duly cited, this research/project work is the result of my own work and that it has neither

in whole nor part been presented elsewhere.

Signature ……………………………

Date …………………………....

Supervisor’s Declaration

I, hereby declare that the preparation of this action research/project work was supervised in

accordance to the guidelines regarding the supervision of this action research laid by the university

of education, Winneba.

Supervisor’s name………………………..........

Signature ………………………………………

Date …………………………………………....

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Thank be to God Almighty for his grace, guidance, strength and protection that has enabled me

work on this research successful. My special thanks go to my supervisor, Dr. Sakina Acquah

(Lecturer University of Education, Winneba- Department of Basic Education), who contributed

greatly toward the success of this research.

I wish to express my endless gratitude to the entire teaching staff Larabanga E/A Basic School,

whose academic assistance broadened my mind, which led to the successful completion of this

work. In addition, I wish to express my gratitude to my mentor, Mr. Abubakari Abdual Fatawu

(Larabanga E/A Basic School) for his assistance in administering the test and for her directions. I

am also grateful to all the participants for their cooperation in the study, which made the research

work possible. Finally, I am grateful to all authors whose works served as sources of reference to

the course of this study.

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 DEDICATION

I dedicate this work to my father and mother for their financial support and encouragement

during the study.

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 Table of Content

Contents
DECLARATION i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii
DEDICATION iii
Table of Content iv
ABSTRACT vii
CHAPTER ONE 1
INTRODUCTION 1
1.0 Overview 1
1.1 Background to the Study 1
1.2 Perceived Problem 3
1.3 Diagnosis 3
1.5 Evidence of the Problem 3
1.6 Causes of the Problem 4
1.7 Statement of the Problem 4
1.8 Purpose of the Study 5
1.9 Objectives of the Study 5
1.10 Research Questions 5
1.11 Significance of the Study 6
1.12 Organization of the Study 6
CHAPTER TWO 7
LITERATURE REVIEW 7
2.0 Overview 7
2.1 Concept of Reading 8
2.2 Types of Reading 8
2.3 Importance of Reading 9
2.4 Some possible causes of pupils' poor English reading performance 10
2.5 Effect of Poor Reading in English Language 11
2.6 Some possible remedies to pupils’ poor reading skills 12

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 2.7 The Concept of Phonic Technique 12
2.8 The Concept of Syllabic Technique 14
2.9 The Concept of whole approach 14
2.10 Empirical Evidence 14
2.11 Summary 16
CHAPTER THREE 17
METHODOLOGY 17
3.0 Overview 17
3.1 Research Design 17
3.2 Setting 17
3.3 Target Population 18
3.4 Accessible population 18
3.5 Sample and Sampling Technique. 18
3.6 Intervention Design 18
3.7 Implementation of Intervention 19
3.8 Pre-intervention Stage 19
3.9 Intervention One 20
3.10 Intervention Two 22
3.11 Post-test Assessment 26
3.12 Instruments used 26
3.13 Data Collection Procedure 26
3.14 Method of Data Analysis 27
CHAPTER FOUR 28
DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 28
4.0 Overview 28
4.1 Pre- Test Results 28
4.2 Post-Test 1 Result 30
4.3 Post-Test 2 Results 32
CHAPTER FIVE 34
SUMMARY, CONCLUTION AND RECOMENTIONS 34
5.0 Overview 34
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 5.1 Summary of the Study 34
5.2 Conclusion 34
5.3 Recommendations 35
REFFERENCES 36
APPENDICES 38

vi
 ABSTRACT

Reading is an indispensable discipline in man’s daily activities. Unfortunately, the performance of

Basic one pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic School in reading leaves much to be desired. The purpose

of this study was to improve the performance of the students in reading using phonic technique.

Action research design was adopted in this study. The setting for this study was Larabanga E/A

Basic School in the Northern Region of Ghana. The class is made of 88 students, 46 boys and 42

girls. Purposeful sampling technique was employed for this study Written tests and reading test

were used to collect data on participants. Participants were engaged in series of activities in

reading. Various interventions were adopted, intervention one looked at the use of Phonic

technique and intervention two looked at the use of syllabic technique. Data was analyzed and

presented in simple tables. Possible causes of their poor English reading included their inability to

identify the English letters, their sounds as well as inability to break words into appropriate

syllables for easy pronunciation. The results gathered showed that the intervention was successful.

The research therefore recommends that teachers and educationists should adopt suitable phonic

and syllabic methods like finger cues to assist pupils improve upon their English reading

Performance in the classroom.

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Overview

This chapter discusses the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the

Study, objectives of the study, research questions and significant of the study.

1.1 Background to the Study

According to (Teaching Syllabus for English, Primary, School, Ghana Education Service, 2007),

English language is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. In Ghana, and most

other countries, the English language is a major medium of instruction as well as expressions in

schools, business and social activities. It is therefore, the official language of government

Administration, business and media. Again, English language is also a medium used for both

internal and external competitive examinations. In view of this crucial role of the English language,

much importance should be placed on its teaching and learning at all levels of education in Ghana

and other Anglophone Countries.

Reading, being one of the areas of English language, is very essential in the process of learning.

That is why the Ghana Education Service, (2007) states as its general objective: The pupil will be

able to firstly read, understand and derive information from texts of varied nature, and secondly,

use reading techniques to understand information in books. All these stated objectives are

generally aimed at helping the pupils to cultivate the habit and interest in reading.

1
Leipzig, (2001) sees reading to be making meaning from print. It requires that we; identifies the

words in print (a process word recognition), construct understanding from them (a process called

comprehension) and coordinate identifying words and making meaning so that reading is

automatic and accurate (an achievement called fluency).

Massey University, (2019)identifies three types of reading. The first type of reading is Skimming.

Skimming is the process of quickly viewing a section of test to get a general impression of the

author’s main argument. The second type of reading is Scanning. Scanning is to quickly locate

specific information: words, numbers, names, ideas or the answer to specific study questions.

Reading helps individuals to understand the world and be able to express themselves. Sekyi, (2003)

underscored the role reading plays in one's life both for social and successful academic life. Early

reading gives a child a background for understanding literature, life and making personal choices.

It opens the door to new experiences and fuels the imagination. Again, reading helps students to

know the demands of questions and other instructions during examinations.

However, in spite of the various importance of comprehensive reading outlined above, concerning

learners, most pupils in Ghana at the pre-tertiary level face a lot of challenges with reading. For

instance, at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) level, The Chief Examiner’s

Report, (2010) on English language indicates that the pupils perform below average in the subject.

This problem according to the report was partly attributed to some reasons including inadequate

teachers for schools and lapses in methodologies adopted by some teachers. Poor reading was also

cited as a major reason.

2
As a result of the various causes of pupils' poor reading skills as stated in the Chief Examiners

Report (2010), this study used the syllabic and phonic methods as instructional strategies to

improve on the English language reading abilities of Basic four pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic

School.

Generally, the performance of pupils in the subject has seen a declining trend. The west Africa

Examination Council (WAEC) Chief Examiner Report from BECE (2004, 2005 and 2006) in

English language states that candidate's performance during those years were somehow better as

compared to that of 2001, 2002 and 2003. However, in 2007, the performances of candidates have

not met expectations since about 45 of the candidates scored marks below 50%. This decline in

performance was partly attributed to the following causes; Inability of pupils to read and

understand what the various questions demand and Wrong spelling of some common vocabularies.

1.2 Perceived Problem

The Basic four pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic School, had difficulties with reading in English

language.

1.3 Diagnosis

Through observation, interview and class exercises, the following evidence and causes will be

identified

1.5 Evidence of the Problem

The evidence of the problem was collected through oral tests, written exercises and visual

observation.

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 i. Out of forty (54) pupils in the class, only twelve (15) of them which represents thirty

percent (27.7%) could read fluently.

ii. Observation showed that 75% of basic four (6) pupils could hardly converse in English

language.

iii. The outcome of the passage reading test showed that 80% of the basic four (6) pupils had

poor pronunciation of words.

1.6 Causes of the Problem

The possible causes of the problem were found to be

I. Inability of the pupils to identify the sounds associated with some letters of the English

alphabets.

II. Pupil's inability to recognize the changes in sounds associated with consonant blends and

clusters when used in words.

III. Inability of pupils to break words into appropriate syllables for easy pronunciation.

All these can be attributed to the poor foundation of the pupil's English reading and also the

methods used in teaching them.

1.7 Statement of the Problem

The Basic four pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic School, had difficulties with reading in English

language. The problem identified can have both short and long term effect on the pupils’ academic

4
performance if not solved. In the short term, the problem can contribute to their poor performance

in class and examination. In the long term, the problem can deny them from getting better job

opportunities in the future. Therefore, there was the need for a study to be carried out why pupils

are not performing well in reading in English language. The mentioned problem above needs

intervention to address pupils’ poor reading skills. In view of this, phonic and syllabic technique

were used to assist Basic four ‘4’ pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic School to help them solve their

reading problems.

1.8 Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to use the syllabic and phonic techniques to help Basic four pupils of

Larabanga E/A Basic School to improve upon their reading in English language.

1.9 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study were to:

1. Using phonic technique to assist basic four (4) pupils to improve their reading difficulties.

2. Using syllabic technique to help basic four (4) pupils to improve their reading difficulties.`

1.10 Research Questions

This study was intended for finding solutions to the following questions:

1. To what extent would the use of the phonic method help pupils recognize the various sounds

associated with letters of the English Alphabets, thereby, improving upon their reading skills?

2. In what ways would the use of finger cues and flash cards as syllabic technique assist pupils to

break words into appropriate syllables for easy pronunciation and reading in passages?
5
1.11 Significance of the Study

The study would serve a remedial activity to basic four pupils Larabanga E/A Basic School to help

them improve on their reading skills in English language. Also, it would prompt other teachers and

educationist to use both the syllabic and phonic methods during the teaching and learning of

English language reading. Again, it would also help the Ghana Education Service to give in-service

training to English teachers on how well to use the phonic and syllabic method in teaching English

language reading. Lastly, it will help future researchers to do more research and improve upon the

teaching of English reading.

1.12 Organization of the Study

This research study has been divided into five chapters. Chapter one discuss the background of the

study, the perceived problem, the purpose of the study, study objective, research question,

significant of the study, definition of terms and finally organization of the study. Chapter two

captures the theoretical and empirical review of related literature. Chapter three covers the research

methodology. It highlights the research design, setting, population and sampling technique, the

intervention design and implementation and problems encountered. It also discusses the data

collection, method of data analysis and summary. The chapter four also discuss the data

presentation, analysis and discuss of the data collected. Finally, the chapter five summarizes the

results of the research study, conclusion, limitations and the recommendations made.

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 CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Overview

This chapter deals with the review of relevant literature on the topic being researched into. The

literature is reviewed under the following sub-topics:

Theoretical Review

i. Concept of Reading

ii. Types of Reading

iii. Importance of Reading

iv. General performance of pupils in English Language

v. Some possible causes of pupils' poor and reading performance

vi. Possible Effect of Poor Reading

vii. Some possible Remedies to pupils Poor Reading Performance.

viii. The concept of phonic and syllabic methods of teaching English language

Empirical Review

Summary

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2.1 Concept of Reading

In general sense, reading is about what happens when pupil look at texts and assign meanings to

the written symbols in the texts. The text and the reader are two physical entities necessary for the

reading process. According to Microsoft Encarta, encyclopedia standard (2010), reading is an

activity characterized by the translation of symbols or letters and sentences that have meaning for

the individual. To Josef, (2019) reading is a way of decoding symbols so that a sensible meaning

can be derived. When we start decoding the symbols called “Alphabets” they become words and

proper arrangement of words in a sentence leads to a sensible meaning. Also

UK Essays, (2020) defines reading as the process of looking at a series of writing symbols and

getting meaning from them. When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols (letters,

punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our brain to convert them into words, sentences and

paragraphs that communicate something to us. They also said that, reading is a receptive skill-

through it we receive information. But the complex process of reading also requires the skill of

speaking, so that we can pronounce the words that we read. In this sense. Reading also a productive

skill in that we are both receiving information and transmitting it (even to ourselves).

2.2 Types of Reading

Several types of reading may occur in a language classroom. Many authors have come out with

some types of reading. For instance, Massey University (2019) identifies three types of reading.

The first type of reading is Skimming. Skimming is the process of quickly viewing a section of

test to get a general impression of the author’s main argument. The second type of reading is

Scanning. Scanning is to quickly locate specific information: words, numbers, names, ideas or the

answer to specific study questions.

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Also Zoccola, (2014) came up with three types of reading. The first type is Eye reading. It includes

taking in words, sentences and phrases through our eyes to develop meaning. The second type is

ear reading. The third type is Finger reading or Braille reading.

Additionally, McDonald, (2012) identifies “Extensive Reading” as a type of reading which

involves reading for pleasure. Because there is an element of enjoyment in extensive reading it is

unlikely that students will undertake

Extensive reading of a text they do not like. It also requires a fluid decoding and assimilation of

the text and content in front of you

2.3 Importance of Reading

People read materials with different purpose and different drives. Thus in modern times, man reads

to be informed, enlightened or educated, stimulated and or comforted. Therefore, to attain these

goals satisfactorily in this computer age, it is necessarily to read thoroughly in order to process

information effectively. Reading is a major learning tool for pupil's educational advancement. This

is because the capacity of pupils to benefit from formal education depends largely on the quantity

and quality of reading that they do.

According to Sharma, (2018), reading expands your and makes you smarter. He further explains

that books are very rich source of information. With every book you read you get to learn new

things. The more you read the more you know about different people, their behavior and

experiences, different places, different cultures and facts that otherwise you would not have

known. He also said that reading books adds depth to your knowledge base. With your increasing

knowledge you become capable of making better decisions and choices in life.

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Again, Winter, (2020) suggested that reading enhances Mental Stimulation. Studies have shown

that staying mentally stimulated can slow the progress of (or possibly even prevent) Alzheimer’s

and Dementia, since keeping your brain active and engaged prevents it from losing power. Just

like any other muscle in the body, the brain requires exercise to keep it strong and healthy, so the

phrase “use it or lose it” is particularly apt when it comes to your mind. Doing puzzles and playing

games such as chess have also been found to be helpful with cognitive stimulation.

Davis, (2016) said that good reading especially in phonics reading program improves spelling. As

students learn to sound out letters and words spelling becomes easier. He added that reading helps

to expand the vocabulary thus reading new words put them in their mind for later use. Seeing how

words are used in different contest can give a better understanding of the word usage and it

definitions rather than just the cold fact of a dictionary

Moreover, the English Teaching Syllabus for Upper Primary School, GES (2007) states as its main

rationale that, "English language is the medium of instruction from Primary Four (4) in the

Ghanaian school system". This means success in education at all levels depends to a very large

extent on the individual's proficiency in the language.

2.4 Some possible causes of pupils' poor English reading performance

Reading skills strongly impacts pupil’s academic success as well as their emotional and social

wellbeing. Poor reading tends to influence pupils negatively in school and this could be attributed

to many causes Different authors have, therefore, written on some of the possible causes which

may account for pupils' poor reading performance in the classroom.

Casey as cited by Angela, (2010) states that most pupils in the basic school levels perform poorly

in reading activities because teachers spend significantly less time helping pupils to learn to read.
10
Angela (2010) further states that a report published by Casey showed that in the United States of

America, about 30% of Fourth Grade pupils required explicit, step by step approach to succeed

with reading and this was attributed in reading instruction by teachers.

2.5 Effect of Poor Reading in English Language

Learning often achieved through effective reading, therefore, when individuals cannot read text,

they stand to lack information from varied sources, especially, the printed materials. Vedas, (2011)

writes that "poor reading can affect a person's life for poor self-esteem and later, for poor academic

success". Poor reading might miss out important information due to their lack of reading skills.

For instance, simple things like passing driving test, filling out application forms for admissions

and jobs as well as learning about our world can have its effect on those poor readers

Also Casey as cited by Angela (2010) states that “poor reading among pupils affects them

socially”. A common finding in sociology and psychology is that students naturally become friends

with peers that are similar to them in academic standing. I correlation, academic success is often

tied to involvement in other positive activities and a sharp decline in truancy, drug use, and other

type of experimentation.

Further effects of pupils' poor English reading skills have been asserted by Adu, (2011)that, “a

report released by the Ghana Education Service(GES) states that about 64% of pupils failed

because they cannot read and write". This is because some of those 64% of pupils could not read

and follow the instructions on their examination papers which ended them failing their

examinations. It has resulted in pupils' inability to understand the demands of exercise and text

questions which would enable them to provide the required answer.

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2.6 Some possible remedies to pupils’ poor reading skills

Pupils poor reading skills have the tendency of negatively affecting learners’ academic

performance, especially, at the pre tertiary levels of education in Ghana if not tackled seriously.

As a result, different authorities have suggested some possible remedies which can be adopted help

pupils" improve upon their reading performance. Berg, (2011) suggests that in order to assist

elementary pupils to read effectively, the reader should make the reading session very interesting.

That is, the teacher must work collaboratively with pupils' on reading activities that create fun.

Berg (2011) further suggests that, the teacher must make the reading aspect of the English language

significant to pupils. Thus, the teacher must work to establish the importance of English reading

activity they perform to boost their morale to do more reading on their own. Also Sturo, (2009)

writes that, in order to assist pupils, read faster and better, the teacher must encourage pupils to

reduce vocalization (reading aloud). He further says that teachers should help pupils to avoid re-

reading a word or text during lessons since it distracts the left to right movement of the eye on the

printed material.

Additionally, Abeland, (2007) writes that in reading, the teacher must help pupils to establish the

distinction between the name of the letter and the sound it usually makes. For instance, the letter

“a has the name as pronounced when one says alphabets as used in words like "late" and "slate that

is, /ei/) and the sound as in "cat" and "apple" (that is, /ae/).

2.7 The Concept of Phonic Technique

Phonics have been explained to involve teaching how to connect sounds of spoken English with

letters or group of letters (for example, that the sound k can be represented by "c" or "k" spelling)

and teaching them to blend the sounds of letters together to produce approximate pronunciation of

12
unknown words (http://wikipedia org/wiki phonic). It was further added that children begin

learning to read using phonics, usually around age 5 and 6. Teaching English reading using phonics

requires pupils to learn the connection between letter patterns and sounds they represent. Phonics

have also been explained as the study of the way in which spelling represent the sounds that make

up words (http://child-reading-tips.com/phonics-method html). Phonics, therefore, help pupils to

learn the sounds of letters and how these letters combine to form words.

According to Tolbert, (2019) Phonic is a method of teaching reading in which you teach students

the letters of the alphabets and their sounds first. Pupils are taught to blend the sounds phonetically

to form words, and increase fluency and comprehension. She asserted five approaches of using

phonic method. First is Synthetic Phonics. The synthetic begins by teaching pupils the forty sounds

of the alphabet as opposed to just the letter of the alphabet. Once those sounds are taught children

blend and then move into forming of words. The second is the Analytic phonics. The analytic

method focuses on learning the onset, or sounds made before the first vowel and the rime, or sound

that follows. For example, in the word cat, the “c” sound is the onset and “at” is the rime, forming

the word cat. The third is Analogy-Based Phonics. This method allows children to learn to use

parts of word families to decode words they don’t know by identifying the part of the word that

are familiar. For example, the child may use their background of knowing the word green to read

the word screen. The forth method is Embedded Phonics. In the embedded phonics methods,

children receive explicit instruction on the letter-sound relationship while reading print media.

Sigh words is used to teach the letter-sound relationship. The last method is Onset-Rime Phonics

Instruction. This method teaches the children to sound out the word. The child will identify the

sound of the onset, or letters before the first vowel in a one syllable word, and then the sound rime,

or the remaining part of the word. Then the child will blend the two to create the word
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2.8 The Concept of Syllabic Technique

According to Macmillan English Dictionary (2008) edition, “Syllabic method is a method of

teaching in which a word or part of a word that has one vowel sound is pronounce or read”. For

example: “Son” has one syllable and “father” has two syllables that is “fa” and “ther” which

combines to form the word father. This means that teachers and other facilitators of education

should use syllabic technique in their teaching and learning processes to help children acquire the

necessary skills to develop fluency in reading and speaking as well.

2.9 The Concept of whole approach

Cicerchia, (2020) asserted that this method teaches reading at word level. Because it skips the

decoding process, students are not sounding out words but rather learning to say the word by

recognizing it written form. Context is important and providing images can help. Familiar words

may initially be presented on their own, then in short sentences and eventually in longer sentences

as their vocabulary grow children begin to extract rules and patterns that they can use to read new

words. Reading via this method is an automatic process and is sometimes called sight-reading.

After many exposures to word children will sight-read the majority of the vocabulary, they

encounter, only sounding out unfamiliar terms. Sight-reading is faster and facilities reading and

comprehension because it free up cognitive attention for processing new words. That is why it is

often recommended that children learn to read high frequency vocabulary in this way.

2.10 Empirical Evidence

Amoako, (2000) carried out research on the use of phonic and syllabic method as technique of

teaching to ascertain their effectiveness to teaching and learning of English language in our

schools. He used Basic two (2) pupils from two selected schools from the Eastern region of Ghana.
14
These schools were Volta River Authority (V.R.A) ‘B’ primary school, Kyease and Anum

Anglican primary school, Anum all in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern region of Ghana.

The assessment instruments used for the study were pre-test and post-test questions designed by

the researcher for the pupils. Finding from the study indicate some factors that militates against

the teaching and learning of oral reading. The factors are, Alphabet method only does not generally

help in oral reading, ineffective and inadequate teaching and learning materials in schools, English

language lessons and other subject lessons were likely to lack diversity and the standard of spoken

English in Ghanaian school is very low. To help solve the identified problems, Amoako noted that

the improvement in pupils’ oral reading skills in English language largely depends on the use of

phonic and syllabic methods as a means of tackling the oral reading problem of children in the

district.

Ewuah, (2002) also carried out research on the oral reading competence among learners in some

selected primary schools in Assin Foso in Central region of Ghana. His main concern was to find

out the reason why the level of proficiency in English language among pupils in the area of the

study has gone down. Information was collected through assessment technique such as

questionnaire, interviews and observations. The study revealed that the low standard of education

in Assin Foso area could be attributed to poor oral reading proficiency in the English language. He

identified some causes of the problem as incorporative home conditions, teachers’ poor attitude

towards teaching of English language, and inadequate supply of effective teaching and learning

materials.

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2.11 Summary
Reading English has powerful implications relating to teaching and learning in Ghana. If one

cannot read, one cannot learn and that can impede teaching. From the literature as showed above,

it is clearly seen from the foregoing that all the writers above agreed that, the use of phonic and

syllabic technique is a technique that can help creates a firm foundation not for only pupils with

reading difficulties but also for a child now starting from the crèche. It will be difficult for a child

to improve in his reading skills if the teaching of phonics and syllabic is removed from their

curriculum. It has been noted from the various authorities that the effective use of phonic and

syllabic method can yield to strong reading skill and competence in English language. It is seen

that, phonic and syllabic knowledge also aids in the developing of word recognition, increase

fluency and improve reading comprehension and spelling.

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 CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

3.0 Overview

This chapter deals with the following items: research design, setting, population, the sampling

technique, Intervention, and methods of data analysis to be used.

3.1 Research Design

Research design describes the basic design used in the study and its application to the study. It

refers to the researcher’s overall plan for obtaining answers to the research questions. The research

design used for the study was the action research which is a type of design used to solve classroom

problem scientifically. It is normally conducted in a local setting. The researcher, therefore in an

attempt to find immediate solution to the problem; resorted to the use of action research design.

The type of research conducted is an action research, which was aimed at improving Basic four

pupils' performance in reading at Larabanga E/A Basic School. The rationale for conducting this

action research was to identify a problem and solve it.

3.2 Setting

The research was conducted at Larabanga E/A Basic School in the northern region of Ghana. The

catchment areas (communities that feed the school with students) include Larabanga township,

Mole, Nbori, Mugnori, Yaali and Murigu among others. The school is located within Larabanga town

in the Damongo district in the northern region of Ghana. The major occupation of the people in the

community and the district is farming.

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3.3 Target Population

The target population is the entire population, or group, that a researcher is interested in

researching and analyzing. My targeted population consists of all pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic

School.

3.4 Accessible population

The accessible population is the portion of the population the researcher has reasonable access,

may be a subset of the target population. My accessible population covered all Basic four pupils

of Larabanga E/A Basic School

3.5 Sample and Sampling Technique.

A purposeful sampling technique was used to select basic four pupils for the study because almost

all the pupils in the class had the problem under study. The class is made up of 88 students, 46

boys and 42 girls. These students aged between 8 to 11 years. A simple random sampling technique

was then employed to select 45 students from the class of which 20 were girls and 25 were boys

representing 51.14% of the class size. It was not practicable to use the entire class for the study

because of logistics constraints.

3.6 Intervention Design

The following intervention strategies were put in place to help improve pupils' learning in reading.

i. The use of the phonic technique

ii. The use of syllabic technique

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3.7 Implementation of Intervention

The researcher used three weeks for the implementation of the intervention. The intervention

started on the 15th of February 2021 and end on the 5th of March 2021. The intervention took 90

minutes after normal instructional hours. The implementation was done three (3) times a week,

specifically, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Before the end of the interventions, a pre-test

was conducted to find out the academic performance of the pupils. All the people took part in a

reading test on a paragraph made up of ten sentences in turns. Each sentence read correctly was

scored as 10 marks. See Table 1 and Appendix A for results and questions respectively.

3.8 Pre-intervention Stage

Week one

Date: 15 / 02/ 2021

Day: Monday

Time: 90 minutes

General pre-test

During the first week a general-test was conducted among the pupils. The researcher gave pupils

a passage on “The Mosquito” to read. This was done within 1 hour thirty minutes. Five structured

objective were given to answer based on the passage. At the end of the test only five pupils out of

the forty-five pupils scored 4 out of 10 marks. The rest of the forty pupils scored less than 3marks.

19
Week Two

3.9 Intervention One

Research Question 1: To what extent would the use of the phonic technique help pupils recognize

the various sounds associated with letters of the English Alphabets?

Day: Monday

Date: 22 \02\ 2021.

Time: 90 minutes

Teaching and learning materials: flash cards, letter cards, charts

Technique: Phonic Approach

Activities

The researcher tested the intervention one. Phonic technique was used to improve pupils' reading

skills. On Monday, the researcher introduced the topic “identification of English Alphabets”.

Alphabet chart was used to assist the pupils to identify the English alphabet. Orally pupils were

assisted to recall the names of the various letters of the English alphabets. Pupils were asked to

write the English alphabets into their exercise books.

In conclusion, this activity really helped the pupils to identify the English alphabet and most of the

pupils were able to pronounce the names of the English alphabet.

Continuation of intervention one.

20
Day: Wednesday

Date: 24 \02\ 2021.

Time: 90 minutes

Teaching and learning materials: flash cards, letter cards, charts

I introduced the topic “identification of upper and lower case of English Alphabets and their

sounds”. Letter Card was used to assist pupils sort the English Alphabets into upper and lower

case. Using letter cards, the researcher guided pupils to pronounce the sound of each of the letters

of the English Alphabets one at a time after the teacher.

In conclusion, this activity helped the pupils to match upper case letters to lower case letters.

Pupils were guided to match each upper case with its corresponding lower case letter as below.

A B C D E

a b c d e

Final phase of Intervention One

Day: Friday

Date: 26 \02\ 2021.

Time: 90 minutes

Teaching and learning materials: flash cards, letter cards,

21
Pupils were grouped and were asked to produce the name of the letter and produce the sound

associated with that particular letter of English alphabets. I used lower case cards to assist pupils

to group letters into consonants and vowels as below

Consonants Vowels

b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, a, e, i, o, u

n, p, q, r, v, w, x, y, z

Week Three

3.10 Intervention Two

Research question 2: In what ways would the use of finger cues and flash cards as syllabic

technique assist pupils to break words into appropriate syllables for easy pronunciation and reading

in passages?

Day: Monday

Date: 01 \03\ 2021.

Time: 90 minutes

Teaching and learning materials: flash cards, letter cards, charts

Technique: Syllabic Approach

Activities:

The researcher used intervention two. Syllabic technique was used to help pupils break words into

syllables for easy pronunciation of words. On Monday, the researcher first introduces “forming

22
two to three letter words in English. Using the letter card, the researcher assisted the pupils to form

two letter words by addition of vowel to consonants as below.

ba be bi bo bu

ca Ce ci co cu

da de di do du

fa fe fi fo fu

ga ge gi go gu

ha he hi ho hu

ja je ji jo ju

By adding another consonant to the two letter words formed above the researcher guided the

pupils to form three letter words as below

bat bet bit bot but

cat cet cit cot cut

dat det dit dot dut

fat fet fit fot fut

gat get git got gut

hat het hit hot hut

jat jet Jit jot jut

In conclusion, this activity helped the pupils to form two letter words and three letter words.

23
Continuation of Intervention Two

Day: Wednesday

Date: 03 \03\ 2021.

Time: 90 minutes

Teaching and learning materials: flash cards and finger cues

I introduced a new topic “Breaking words syllables (one to five Syllabic Words). Finger cues and

flashcards were used to assist pupils to read examples of words made up of one to five syllables

like, ‘here’, ‘that’, ‘many’, ‘sugar’, ‘tomorrow, ‘beautiful’, ‘comprehension’, ‘togetherness’,

‘international’, ‘illumination’.

In conclusion, the pupils were able to write one syllabic to five syllabic words after this activity.

I later on used flashcard to help pupils to write words made up of one to five syllables into their

exercise as below

One syllabic word

Like Jump

like
jump

24
 Two Syllabic words

Sugar Many

sugar many

Three Syllabic words

Beautiful
Tomorrow

beautiful
tomorrow

Four Syllabic words

Comprehension Togetherness

togetherness
comprehension

Five Syllabic words

International Illumination

international illumination

25
Final phase of Intervention One

Day: Friday

Date: 05 \03\ 2021.

Time: 90 minutes

Pupils took an hour test on syllabic work. The total marks for the questions were 10 marks.

3.11 Post-test Assessment

Two post-tests were conducted in this research. The first post –test was conducted after the

intervention one that is the use of phonic technique. The post-test two was conducted after the

second intervention that is the use of syllabic technique. At the end of the intervention, a post test

was conducted to ascertain the level of absorption and understanding of the concepts. Formal and

informal assessment were used as a mechanism such as discussion, reading exercises and test. The

result of the assessment showed a tremendous improvement in pupils reading skills. This indicates

the effectiveness and acquisition of interventional mechanisms put in place by the researcher.

3.12 Instruments used

The instruments used in collecting data during the intervention were mainly pre-test and post-tests.

3.13 Data Collection Procedure

Series of teacher made tests were used to collect data for the study. Pre-test was administered

before introduction of the intervention that was used in phonic method. Post-tests was administered

a week after the implementation of the corresponding intervention. That is, post- test one (1) was

26
administered after intervention phonic method. Post- test two (2) was also administered after an

intervention (2) that is Syllabic method.

3.14 Method of Data Analysis

Each test had a minimum score of zero and a maximum of 10. Frequency distribution and simple

percentages of pupils' score for each test were determined. The mean score for each test was also

determined. Tables and simple percentages of numbers were used to analyze the results gathered from the

intervention designed. It was done through the following scoring keys;

Score Remarks

0-4 Below Average

5-7 Average

8-10 Above Average

27
 CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

4.0 Overview

This chapter consists of data presentation, analysis and discussion of findings research question.

Before the first intervention was carried out, I conducted pre-test to verify pupils’ reading skills.

The results are presented in table 1.

4.1 Pre- Test Results

Table 1: Pre- test Results

Score (x) Number of student f (x) Percentage (%)

0 15 0 33.3

1 10 10 22.2

2 8 16 17.8

3 7 21 15.6

4 5 20 11.1

5 0 0 0.0

6 0 0 0.0

7 0 0 0.0

8 0 0 0.0

9 0 0 0.0

10 0 0 0.0

Total = 45) = 67 100

28
 Ʃ𝑓𝑥=67
Mean (x) score= = 1.5 mark
Ʃ𝑓=45

From the Table 1 above represent general pre-test scores of pupil’s abilities to read. From the table,

it is realized that fifteen of the students out of the forty-five (45) representing 33.3% of the students

got zero. Ten students out of the forty-five representing 22.2% of the student got one mark. Eight

students out of the forty-five student representing 17.8% of the student got two. Seven students

out of the forty-five representing 15.6% of the student got three. Five students out of the forty-five

representing 11.1% of the student got four. The average or the mean mark of the class is 1.5, which

clearly shows students poor performance in reading.

This decline in the reading performances of pupils were mainly attributed to causes like

inappropriate teaching techniques and strategies. As a result, this intervention (phonic technique,

syllabic technique) was used as a panacea to the situation.

Research Question 1: To what extent would the use of the phonic technique help pupils recognize

the various sounds associated with letters of the English Alphabets?

Post Test 1 was administered to the pupils after the intervention one (1). The results of the test are

presented on Table 2.

29
4.2 Post-Test 1 Result

Table 2: Post-test 1 Result

Scores (x) Number of student (f) f (x) Percentage (%)

0 0 0 0.0

0 0 0 0.0

2 0 0 0.0

3 3 9 6.7

4 2 8 4.4

5 5 25 11.1

6 4 24 8.9

7 7 49 15.6

8 10 80 22.2

9 5 45 11.1

10 9 90 20.0

Total = 45) = 330) 100

∑ 𝑓𝑥= 330)
Mean (x) score= = 7.3 mark
(∑ 𝑓= 45)

The data in table 2 indicates that, after taking pupils through phonic technique, three (3) student

representing 6.7% out of forty-five students had the minimum score of three (3). Five students out

of forty-five had half of the mark representing 11.1% and nine students out of forty-five

30
representing 20.0 % obtained the maximum score of eight (10). About 53.3% of the students

obtained scores above the mean score of 7.3. The pupil’s performance in the post test one (1) was

better than their performance in the pre- test. The pupils obtained a mean of 1.5 in the pre-test and

a mean score of 7.3 in post-test one (1) with a mean difference of 5.8 which indicates that, phonic

technique has improved their reading skills.

This buttress what Tolbert (2019) asserted that Phonic is a technique of teaching reading in which

you teach students the letters of the alphabets and their sounds first. Pupils are taught to blend the

sounds phonetically to form words, and increase fluency and comprehension.

Research question 2: In what ways would the use of finger cues and flash cards as syllabic

technique assist pupils to break words into appropriate syllables for easy pronunciation and reading

in passages?

Post-test two (2) was administered to the pupils after they were taken through syllabic technique.

The results of the test are presented in table 3 below.

31
4.3 Post-Test 2 Results

Table 3: post-test 2 Results

Scores (x) Number of student (f) f (x) Percentage (%)

0 0 0 0.0

1 0 0 0.0

2 0 0 0.0

3 0 0 0.0

4 0 0 0.0

5 0 0 0.0

6 4 24 8.9

7 8 56 17.8

8 5 40 11.1

9 8 72 17.8

10 20 200 44.4

Total = 45) = 392) 100

∑ 𝑓𝑥= 392)
Mean (x) score= = 8.7mark
(∑ 𝑓= 45)

32
From the post intervention results presented on the table above, the pupil’s scores ranges from 6

marks and 10 marks with the mean of 8.7. About 62.2% 0f the pupils obtained scores above the

mean score of 8.7 and 44.4% had maximum score of 10 and 8.9% obtained minimum score of six

(6). This shows that pupils have improved in post-test 2 over the pre-test and post-test1. The pupils

obtained a mean of 1.5 in the pre-test, 7.3 in the post-test 1 and a mean of 8.7 in post-test 2. The

mean difference between post-test 2 and pre-test is 7.0 which indicate that using syllabic

techniques in teaching reading improves pupils understanding and enhances fluency.

Improvement in pupils’ performance were as a result of the syllabic intervention used and this

goes to buttress the fact that teaching English reading using phonic and syllabic technique requires

pupils to learn the connections between letters and the sounds they represent and eventually

grouping words into appropriate syllables for easier pronunciation

In summary, as a result of implementation of the various strategies, it could be noticed that, pupils’

performance has improved tremendously.

33
 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUTION AND RECOMENTIONS

5.0 Overview

This chapter examined the summary of the entire study, the conclusion drawn in accordance with

the research findings, and recommendations on the study.

5.1 Summary of the Study

This research conducted involves Basic four pupils of Larabanga E/A Basic School. The study

focused on using phonic technique to improve the performance in learning reading among the

pupils. An intervention was put in place to help to overcome the problem associated with reading.

Various activities such as use of phonic activities and syllabic approach were implemented and

affected. This lasted for three (3) weeks, after which post-tests were administered to the pupils'.

The data from the post-tests conducted were analyzed by using the mean score and the percentages.

The researcher found out that pupils were able to participate actively in all reading lessons. It was

also observed that, the performance of pupils on the post-tests so far out weighted that of the pre-

test because, majority of the pupils were able to read fluently.

Generally, the outcome of the intervention was that, majority of basic four pupils Larabanga E/A

Basic School, developed interest in reading. The interventions put in place also helped the pupils

to participate highly and contributed meaningfully during reading` lessons.

5.2 Conclusion

Having seen how the use of phonic technique in combination of teaching learning materials made

the intervention very effective, I therefore conclude that teachers should always design their own
34
innovative ways and plan out different activities for students so that they can learn through their

own activities, enjoy and understand what they do. Reading should be taught through use of phonic

technique and appropriate teaching learning materials.

5.3 Recommendations

Based on the outcome of the research, the following recommendations are made:

1. The ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service should make available to schools

teaching and learning materials needed to enhance active teaching and learning of reading

in schools.

2. Regular school based in-service training should be organized for teachers to up-grade their

skills in teaching English reading.

3. Teachers and Educationalist must help their pupils to break words into their appropriate

syllables for easy pronunciation since this can assist pupils to read unfamiliar word in the

passage.

4. Teachers and educationalist should immediately offer remedial activities to assist poor

readers to be able to identify the English alphabets and associate the sound of the letters

with their names since this can help to form Basic English words like two or four letter

words.

5. Schools should provide enough supplementary readers to pupils to help them develop

maximum interest in reading on their own, especially, during leisure times.

35
 REFFERENCES

Abeland, O. (2007). The language Teacher. New York: David Mickay Company Inc.

Adu, S. (2011). Teaching Children to Read and Write. Accra: Sedco Publication Limited.

Amoako, W. (2000). Helping Basic two Pupils of Volta River Authority (V.R.A) ‘B’ primary

school, to Overcome Their Difficulties In Oral Reading Using Phonic technique. University

of Education, Winneba, Basic Education.

Angela, O. (2010). Remediating Reading Disability Among Pupils. NewYork: Macmillan

Publication Company.

Berg, K. (2011). Using the Syllabic Technique to Solve Reading Problems. New York: Gilford

Press.

Cicerchia, M. (2020). Three Methods for teaching reading.

https://www.readandspell.com/methods-for-teaching-reading

Davis, G. (2016). Why Reading is Important? https://www.learn-to-read-prince-

george.com/why-is-reading-important.html

Ewuah, A. (2002). Improving The English Reading Ability Of Primary Four (4) Pupils Of Assin

Foso Primary School. University of Education, Winneba, Basic Education.

Ghana Education Service. (2007). Teaching syllabus for English Language (Primary 2-4).

Josef, E. (2019). Reading. https://www.englishclub.com/reading/what.htm

Leipzig, D. . (2001). What is reading? https://www.readingrockets.org/article/what-reading

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Massey University. (2019). Types of Reading skills. https://owll.massey.ac.nz/study-

skills/reading-styles.php

McDonald, F. (2012). Extensive Reading. London Press.

Sekyi, B. (2003). Learning and Communication. Kumasi:Wilas Press Limited.

Sharma, S. (2018). Importance of Reading Books. https://gladreaders.com/importance-of-

reading-books/

Sturo, P. (2009). How-to-read-faster-and-better. http://www.ezinearticles.com

The Chief Examiner’s Report. (2010). Junior secondary school examination for School.

Tolbert, M. (2019). Phonological awareness intervention: beyond the basics,Language,Speech

and Hearing Services in schools. Chicago: American Library Association.

UK Essays. (2020). Definition of Reading.

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Vedas, C. (2011). Effects of Reading Inabilities. Prentice- Hall Inc. Publishing.

Winter, C. (2020). 10 Benefits of Reading: Why You Should Read Every Day.

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-reading-why-you-should-read-

everyday.html

Zoccola, J. (2014). Three types of Reading. https://www.edutopia.org/discussion/three-types-

reading

37
 APPENDICES

APPENDIX A

Read the passage "The Mosquito" out loudly

I am the mosquito.

I am very tiny but dangerous to your health.

I kill the young and old.

I kill the ordinary and the great.

I like staying in the bushes and dirty places.

I breed on stagnant waters and in the bushes.

My enemies are always dirty.

To avoid me, you have to clean your gutters and clear your bushes.

I bite to make you know that you have to be neat.

Hate me or like me, I like who I am.

38
 APPENDIX B

Answer the questions below

a. Write the English alphabet in their correct order

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………

b. Write down the English alphabet in upper case in their correct order

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………….………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………….………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

c. Write down the English alphabet in lower case in their correct order

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

39
 APPENDIX C

Group the English lower case letters below into consonants and vowels in the space provided

(a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, I, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z)

Consonants

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Vowels

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

40
 APPENDIX D

a. Form any two letter words by adding a consonant and a vowel

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

b. Add another consonant to the two letter words formed in (a) above and make them three letter

words.

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… ………………… ………………… …………………

………………… …………………. ………………… …………………

41