The Influence of Synthetic Phonics Instruction in Enhancing Word Recognition of Thai Primary School Students

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of synthetic phonics instruction on word recognition skills and students’ attitudes toward vocabulary learning. Vocabulary is a fundamental element of English learning and affects all language skills. Traditional methods emphasize memorization and grammar-translation, while learning in Thailand has restricted students to a small vocabulary. Forty primary school students participated in a quasi-experiment with two groups receiving either traditional, book-based or synthetic-based phonics instruction during eight treatment weeks of a ten-week schedule. Quantitative results showed that the experimental group performed better than the control group on receptive and productive word recognition, with statistically significant improvements in phonological awareness, working memory and decoding. Supporting qualitative evidence from focus group interviews revealed that students adopted favorable attitudes toward synthetic phonics instruction by becoming more engaged, confident, and motivated in vocabulary learning. However, a few learners of low proficiency tended to feel anxious about competitive tasks, thus implying the importance of adapting instruction to students and creating a positive classroom environment. The overall findings tend to affirm that synthetic phonics is an active and attractive method to promote word recognition and vocabulary acquisition among young EFL learners. The findings of this study offer practical implications for EFL professionals, indicating the importance of providing a balance of structured instruction and tailored individualized support to promote not only academic but also emotional success in language learning.