Creative Phonics Instruction: An Example of Elementary School Extra English Classes in Taipei County

Abstract

Creative teaching is a good method for both students and teachers, and has been employed in many subjects. As for EFL young learners, creative phonics instruction is an effective method for EFL young learners and could increase pupils' classroom situational interest and learning motivation. Two extra English classes with a total of sixty-four elementary students in Taipei County participated in this study. The creative phonics instruction is designed by several senior English teachers, and is taught by the same teacher for a semester. Students were given phonological awareness tasks and a learning attitude questionnaire at the end of the semester as quantitative measurement. The data showed that most students have a positive attitude toward phonics learning and the teacher. The independent t-test indicated that female students have higher scores than males in two scales and second graders also have higher scores than first graders in the learning attitude scale and phonological awareness tasks. In addition, these young students with other learning experience have higher scores than those without. The main conclusion reached is that; creative phonics instruction could be a useful approach in phonics teaching and still needs further curriculum development and research investigation.