The Effectiveness of Jolly Phonics in Developing Phonological Awareness and Early Reading Skills in English

Abstract

This End of Degree Project is a systematic review of the results on the effect of Jolly Phonics on the development of phonological awareness and early reading acquisition in English among young learners. The purpose was to investigate the pedagogical potential of phonics-focused education and the effect of instruction based on phonics in the literacy development, motivation, and participation of children in English as a foreign language context in schools. The research employed PRISMA guidelines, and the Web of Science database was employed to determine and select relevant scientific findings based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Six studies after following the screening were included in the final review. The results showed that systematic phonics instruction, especially Jolly Phonics, shows a favorable relationship with the level of students¿ reading accuracy, decoding ability, spelling ability, pronunciation, and phonological awareness. The songs, gestures, stories, and interactive activities embedded in the program resulted in enhanced involvement, self-assurance, and motivation levels for learning to read with children. For all these reasons the findings indicate that Jolly Phonics is an efficient educational medium to aid early literacy and reading acquisition in English both in bilingual and EFL classrooms.