The effect of multisensory phonetic instruction: A retrospective, causal-comparative, cross-sectional study

This retrospective, causal-comparative, cross-sectional study examined the effect on reading achievement scores of using multisensory teaching practices in early-elementary classrooms. The problem addressed was the continual use of traditional reading instructional techniques within public schools despite empirical research suggesting change in teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to determine if multisensory literacy teaching techniques practiced in regular classroom instruction resulted in increased reading scores. The study revealed a significance of .409 between students receiving one year and three years of intervention; with p value > 0.05, thus resulting in a significant effect on year-end reading scores of students in grade 2. Results of the study revealed a significance of 0.14; with the p value > 0.05, a significant difference between genders who were taught using multisensory instruction, was identified, with girls performing better than boys. The maximum reading grade level for girls of this study was grade level six, while the maximum reading grade level for boys of this study was grade level four. A significance of 0.937 was found between students whose mother tongue was English and those whose mother tongue was French, when both groups were taught with multisensory instruction within English-speaking early-elementary classrooms. With the p value > 0.05 also indicated a significant difference in reading scores. The students of this study whose mother tongue was French demonstrated a more uniform pattern of reading development. Recommendation to include multisensory literacy instruction within public primary and elementary schools was made. Further research to examine continuity and long-term effects of multisensory literacy instruction and literacy learning for second language learners was also suggested. iii.