The Effectiveness of Phonics and Whole-word Techniques on Improving English Reading Skills of Dyslexic Students

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of phonics and whole-word techniques on improving the English reading skills of dyslexic students. Methods: The research method was a pre-test, posttest comparison group design. The population consisted of all elementary dyslexic students in Ardabil city. 30 participants were selected by availability sampling, and they were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (conditions of phonics (dealing with the individual sounds and letters of a word)) and whole-word (taking a word as a complete unit of meaning). To better understand both teaching techniques and to have an accurate understanding of the quality and how to improve the comprehension and learning of words and its impact on reading skill, the sample was homogenized through a pre-test using Vocabulary Levels Test. Then, they participated in 12 sessions each 60 minutes receiving instruction and practice on learning vocabulary through phonics and whole-word methods to see their influence on their reading skill. Results: After performing the treatment, the results were compared through covariance analysis and independent samples t-test. The findings showed an average amount of progress in terms of vocabulary in both groups. However, those language learners in the whole-word group outperformed those in the phonics group when it came to the reading skill (P<0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that lexical teaching methods (word-based) and phonics (sound-based) have a significant effect on improving the reading skills of dyslexic learners, however, the contribution of the whole-word method is more than that of the phonics technique.