Exploring the Role of Phonemic and Phonological Awareness in the Reading Development of Primary-Grade Learners: A Qualitative Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55687/ste.v5i4.641Keywords:
phonemic awareness, phonological awareness, early literacy, reading development, primary-grade learners, qualitative research, decodingAbstract
Phonological and phonemic awareness are widely recognized as important foundations of early literacy, yet less is known about how primary-grade learners themselves experience these sound-based skills while learning to read within everyday classroom contexts. This qualitative case study explored the role of phonemic and phonological awareness in the reading development of primary-grade learners at Gappal Elementary School. Particular attention was given to learners’ experiences with rhyme recognition, syllable segmentation, phoneme identification, blending, segmentation, and sound manipulation and to how these processes were reflected in word decoding, reading confidence, and engagement. Purposively selected primary-grade learners and their teachers participated in semi-structured interviews, task-based conversations, and classroom observations. Learner reading activities and selected classroom artifacts provided supplementary evidence. Data were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Six interconnected themes structured the analysis: (1) hearing the parts before reading the whole, (2) blending sounds as a bridge to word reading, (3) segmentation as a tool for decoding unfamiliar words, (4) repeated sound work building confidence and independence, (5) persistent difficulties beneath developing reading skills, and (6) guided and engaging practice making sound awareness meaningful. The findings suggest that learners experienced phonological and phonemic awareness not as isolated oral exercises but as practical resources for approaching printed words. However, learners varied in their ability to isolate, blend, segment, and manipulate sounds, and more complex phonemic tasks could result in confusion and frustration. These findings emphasize the importance of explicit, developmentally sequenced, contextualized, and supportive phonological instruction in the primary grades.
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