The Impact of Explicit Phonics Instruction on the Fluency Rate of First Graders

Abstract

The purpose of this pre-experimental study was to examine the impact of explicit phonics instruction on the fluency rate of first grade students. The participants in this study were enrolled in first grade at a school in the Pikesville area of Baltimore County for the 2015 – 2016 school year. The students in the study received instruction utilizing the Open Court phonics curriculum in addition to the Wonders phonics curriculum in their classroom. The six participants in the group met before school for six weeks, two days per week and for an hour each session. The six students made significant gains in their scores on the post-test versus their pre-test scores. The null hypothesis that explicit phonics instruction would have no impact on the fluency rate of first graders was not supported. Research in this area should continue to determine whether or not explicit phonics instruction would have an impact on the fluency rate of a larger group of first grade students. Further research should include both control and experimental groups.