Didáctica de los métodos fónicos para la enseñanza de la lectura del inglés como lengua extranjera en los primeros niveles de enseñanza primaria

Resum

ABSTRACT This thesis aims to investigate the effects of two phonic methods for teaching reading in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) on learners 1 Primary Education. The objectives that have guided our work are to perform a theoretical and empirical review that might support or refute the model we have assumed introduction of reading at early ages. On the other hand, we have designed two phonic methods -analytical and synthetic-, through a set of activities that allow us to compare the differential effects of both methods. In our proposal, learning the English phonological system in the initial period of reading, needs an explicit approach. The initial learning of reading, by the practice of basic metaphonological skills contribute to the acquisition of new phonological categories. Therefore, phonology and reading acquisition maintain an interactive relationship. Moreover, we believe that the initial approach of writing skills, ie the teaching of grapheme-phoneme correspondances supported by the articulatory sound analysis can enhance the learning process and ensure the gradual acquisition of a good pronunciation. Thus, this thesis attempts to lay the foundations of a teaching model with three levels of knowledge, ie, phonological, metaphonological and orthographic, in order to apply phonological decoding on reading process correctly and efficiently. This study makes use of a quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups, analytical and synthetic, of 50 learners between five and six years old over the course of a full academic course. In order to quantify the effects of programmes, pretest and postest assessments (before and after school programmes) have been made as well as interim evaluations to assess progress achieved by learners. In addition to the variable programme (independent variable) with two levels: synthetic and analytical programme, the variables considered in the study can be classified as experimental variables (dependent), referring to phonological and reading skills that are expected to be developed with phonic programmes, and control variables (pretest) which aims to ensure the similarity between the two groups. Statistical analysis were performed with SPSS version 19. The results show that both methods of this research have led significant achievements by learners, but synthetic method perform better in all tests about learning phonological component as well as grapheme-phoneme correspondances and its application so as to read words. Furthermore, the study confirms the importance for teachers to acquire new techniques for the teaching of reading in English as a Foreign Language at early ages.