An Action Research On The Effects Of Picture-book-based Phonics On Reading Comprehension Ability Of Primary School Students

Phonics originates in native English speaking countries and it has gone through more than one hundred years.Many scholars find that children can reach a high degree of literacy by using phonics,and some propose phonics can be used in English teaching for children whose native language is Chinese.This study aims to explore the most suitable picture books as the reading materials and provide an appropriate phonics learning method for native Chinese children in Guangzhou.Meanwhile,it attempts to investigate how picture-book-based phonics help students develop their phonological awareness,word decoding ability,word encoding ability which contribute to reading comprehension ability.This study,through an action research,addresses the following research questions :(1)What principles should be taken into consideration while choosin g picture books as the reading materials for primary school students?(2)What effects does the picture-book-based phonics have on primary school students' English reading comprehension ability?Participants in this study were 43 students in grade 4 in a primary school in Panyu District of Guangzhou.A two-round action research was conducted,followin g the four steps proposed by Kurt Lewin: planning,implementation,observation,reflection.In the first round,the researcher first conducted a questionnaire survey to find out the research questions,preliminary tests to identify the problem,then raised the hypothesis,implemented the teaching practice in actions,and finally,used posttests to examine the teaching effects on young learners‘ phonological awareness,word decoding ability,word encoding ability and reading comprehension ability.In the second round,some major adjustments were made,including exploring picture book selection,teaching reading aloud and sustained silent reading strategies in class,helping participants make better group cooperation and performances.The results show that:(1)When selecting appropriate picture books,child's perspective,life experience and language proficiency are all to bear in mind.Attractive book style,clear book figures should be taken into consideration.Moreover,on equal conditions,books that have been awarded domestic or international prizes should be used for the first choice.(2)Picture-book-based phonics can develop children phonological awareness,word decoding ability,word encoding ability and hence improve reading comprehension ability.