Phonemic Awareness: The missing ingredient in the reading process?

This thesis outlines a self-study action research journey which investigated: How can I improve the teaching of phonemic awareness using the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum (2020) and station teaching in my Junior Infant class? Reading gives children access to nearly all areas of the school curriculum throughout their education and this is why such emphasis is put on literacy in Junior and Senior Infants. Phonemic awareness became a personal area of interest to me from my experience working as a Special Education Teacher. In this role, I was often in search of alternative literacy interventions that could benefit the children I teach. I began researching factors influencing reading development and found that there are numerous studies outlining the importance of having a solid foundation in phonemic awareness and the potential impact it could have on future reading success. This was where my interest in phonemic awareness began. From my experience on the Special Educational Needs team, I became passionate about providing for individual needs and ensuring that all children have the skills required for future reading success. As my core values are care and inclusion, literacy seemed like a perfect starting point to try and live more closely to my values. By explicitly teaching phonemic awareness skills to my class, I hoped to develop their reading skills, identify any reading difficulties from the outset and put early interventions in place to help these children reach their potential. I decided upon two different interventions: a whole class approach using a phonemic awareness program called the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum (2020) and employing my own strategies in station teaching of phonemic awareness skills. Professional development is something I feel passionate about and this influenced my choice of research method. Self-study action research enabled me to examine my own practice and search for ways to improve it. Three main findings emerged from my research: • The combination approach of teaching of phonemic awareness using the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Curriculum (2020) and station teaching have promoted pupil agency. • Pupil engagement increased (during station teaching) when concrete materials and movement were involved. • Individual needs can be identified and supported in a more inclusive way in a small group setting than in the whole class setting. My engagement with the reflective process has enabled me to generate a living theory. This living theory has allowed me to reflect on my practice and identify ways to align my practice with my values of care and inclusion