Short and Long “A” and “I” phonemes recognition in reading and writing through an Elkonin Boxes adaptation in second grade elementary school children

Abstract

"In the context of the teaching of English in Mexico, the need to explore methodological didactics that strengthen learning is relevant. Proper pronunciation of English is important since it can provide students with greater confidence and comfort in the use of language. This study explores the application of an adaptation of the strategy known as Elkonin boxes. This strategy, applied in the second grade of a private primary school, seeks to promote phonemic awareness, which is a strong predictor of future reading success if developed in early stages. The research questions guiding this study are 1) How does the Elkonin boxes strategy facilitate elementary school children's recognition of “A” and “I” vowel sounds of English words in reading and writing?, 2) What are the differences and similarities before and after using the Elkonin boxes strategy in reading and writing?, and 3) What changes are observed in the participants during the process of application of the Elkonin boxes strategy in reading and writing? This research evaluated the performance of the students before and after the application of the strategy and the results show significant progress in the development of the participants' phonemic awareness of short and long “A” and “I” vowels".