ABSTRACT
The study is on effect of phonics instructional method on pupil's achievement and interest in
reading. The achievement and interest of pupils taught with phonics instructional method
were compared with those taught with conventional look and say instructional method. Six
research questions were posed and six null hypotheses formulated to guide the study. The
study adopted a quasi-experimental design. Specifically, the non-randomised control group
design was used. The area of the study was Awka South local Government Area of Anambra
State. The population of the study comprised 11,346 primary two pupils. The sample for this
study comprised hundred and sixteen (116) primary two pupils in Awka South LGA of
Anambra state and simple random sampling technique was used to draw the sample of the
study from the population. Two instruments were used for data collection. They are the
English Reading Achievement Test (ERAT) and English Language Reading Interest Scale
(ELRIS). The instruments were face validated, but ERAT was further subjected to content
validation. Subsequently, the instruments were trial tested for the purpose of determining
their reliability. The internal consistency of ERAT was computed and it yielded reliability
index of 0.88. The internal consistency reliability of ELRIS `was determined using the
responses of 30primary two pupils. An internal consistency reliability coefficient of 0.84 was
determined for the instrument using Cronbach alpha formula. The treatment lasted for five
weeks. After the treatment session, the same instruments were administered to the subjects to
obtain the post-test scores. The research questions were answered using mean scores, while
the hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at 0.05 level of
significance. The results indicated that pupils taught reading using the phonics instructional
method achieved significantly higher than those taught with the look and say method. This
means that the phonics instructional method proved better to the look and say method in
promoting pupils' achievement and interest in reading. Gender had no significant influence
on pupils' achievement and interest in reading. The male and female pupil maintained almost
the same level of interest in reading. The interaction effects of instructional method and
gender on pupils' achievement and interest were not statistically significant. Following the
discussion of the results, conclusions were drawn and educational implications of the findings
were highlighted. It was recommended, among others, that English language teachers should
adopt the phonics instructional method as an alternative to the look and say instructional
method in teaching reading. Also, workshops, conferences and seminars should be organised
for English language teachers by education authorities on the use of phonics instructional
method in teaching reading in English language.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE i
APPROVAL PAGE ii
CERTIFICATION PAGE iii
DEDICATION iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi
LIST OF TABLES ix
LIST OF FIGURES x
ABSTRACT xi
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the Study 1
Statement of the Problem 15
Purpose of the Study 16
Significance of the Study 16
Scope of the Study 18
Research Questions 19
Hypotheses 19
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 21
Conceptual Framework 22
The Concept of Reading 22
The Importance of Reading 26
Concept of Phonics 29
Concept of Interest 57
Concept of Achievement 60
Concept of Gender 62
Conceptual Schema 68
Theoretical Framework 69
Vygotsky's Social Interaction Theory for Language Development 69
Jean Piaget's Cognitive Theory 70
Phonics Theory of Reading 72 7
Review of Related Empirical Studies 73
Studies on Phonics 73
Studies on Achievement in Reading 82
Studies on Interest in Reading 82
Summary of Literature Review 89
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHOD 92
Design of the Study 92
Area of the Study 93
Population of the Study 93
Sample and Sampling Technique 94
Instrument for Data Collection 94
Validation of the Instrument 95
Reliability of the Instrument 95
Experimental Procedure 95
Control of Extraneous Variables 96
Method of Data Analysis 97
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS 98
Summary of Findings 110
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION, IMPLICATION,
RECOMMENDATION AND SUMMARY 112
Discussion of the Findings 112
Conclusions 115
Educational Implications of the Study 116
Recommendations 118
Limitations of the Study 119
Suggestion for Further Studies 119
Summary of the Study 119
REFERENCES 123
