The effect of phonemic segmentation on word recognition through the use of interactive whiteboard among Jordanian English as a foreign language (EFL) beginning readers

• Main Author: Alhumsi, Mohammad Husam A.
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English; English
• Published: 2017
• Subjects: PE English
• Online Access: http://etd.uum.edu.my/7078/

Developing effective reading skills is essential among primary learners of English given that this will create many types of awareness, in particular, phonemic awareness. In Jordan, studies have revealed that there is a weak performance in the skill of reading among primary school students and young learner‘s word-reading ability. Studies have also shown that the ability to segment words into phonemes is considered as the most powerful predictor of future reading skill. However, little is known about how phonemic segmentation skill affects word recognition among Jordanian English as a foreign language (EFL) beginning readers using the interactive whiteboard (IWB). This study investigated the effect of phonemic segmentation skill on word recognition among Jordanian EFL beginning readers by using IWB. It also examined their teachers‘ perception towards the use of phonemic segmentation and the use of IWB. The instruments used were word recognition test and cross-sectional questionnaire. The independent sample paired t-test, dependent ttest, descriptive statistics, and one way ANOVA were employed to analyse the data. The pre-tests and post-tests of word recognition were administered to 41 beginning readers in the experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the treatment for four weeks using IWB, whereas the control group was taught using the chalkboard. Meanwhile, the questionnaires were distributed to 86 teachers. The findings showed a significant difference in word recognition test scores between the experimental and control groups. The results also indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of EFL teachers of beginning readers based on gender and teaching experience in relation to the use of phonemic segmentation and IWB. The findings revealed that the EFL teachers provided positive support towards using phonemic segmentation and IWB. The findings propose some pedagogical implications for curriculum designers and English teachers. This includes training Jordanian teachers to integrate phonemic segmentation and IWB in the teaching and learning of reading.