Implementing Synthetic Phonics in an ELT Context:Insights from the Pre-primary Classroom

Abstract

There are, of course, some notable differences between how phonics teaching works for L1 users, who are learning to read a language that is familiar to them, and for L2 users, for whom both the language and its writing system are new. L2 learners’ first language may be quite different from English: it may have a transparent writing system with few variations in spelling, it may not be an alphabetic language like English, and it may not have the same left-right print direction as English. There may be certain similarities between the writing systems for learners’ L1 and English. Learners may not yet have fully acquired literacy in their L1 when their L2 phonics programme starts, or they may be very young. These factors all need to be accounted for in L2 English phonics instruction. Other key differences concern the pronunciation of the sounds of English and L2 vocabulary, as learners will require explicit instruction and consolidation in each of these as part of an L2 phonics programme.

This paper explores the benefits and challenges of teaching phonics in an English Language Teaching (ELT) context, drawing on evidence from L1 research to inform L2 best practices, so that phonics instruction benefits L2 learners, whatever stage of their learning.