“I have no clue how to pronounce that”: The impact of introducing a systematic phonics teaching initiative on Year 8 Italian students’ reading aloud skills and attitudes
Hannah Crossman
(PGCE Modern Foreign Languages, 2021-2022)
email: hrc40@cantab.ac.uk
Abstract
Phonological awareness is increasingly important in educational policy in England, with research revealing benefits for second language learning and beyond. However, studies have found that foreign language “decoding” ability, that is the ability to convert written language into its spoken sounds, is limited and negatively perceived amongst secondary school students in England. Phonological development in modern foreign language classrooms in England is widely approached implicitly. This study aimed to analyse the impact of an alternate, explicit, systematic phonics teaching intervention on a KS3 Italian class’s reading aloud ability and attitudes. Research was conducted using a reading aloud assessment, questionnaires, teacher observations and semi-structured interviews. The findings suggest that systematic, explicit phonics teaching may have a positive impact on student decoding ability, perception of that ability, and confidence.
Copyright: © 2023. This paper is copyright of the author. (Please read the Journal's copyright information page by using the menu to the left of this page.)
The full paper is available for download as a pdf file: 249-280crossmanh
Citation: Crossman, H. (2023). “I have no clue how to pronounce that”: The impact of introducing a systematic phonics teaching initiative on Year 8 Italian students’ reading aloud skills and attitudes. Journal of Trainee Teacher Educational Research, Volume 14 pp. 249-280. https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.100011