THE IMPACT OF FOCUSED SPECFIC PHONEMIC AWARENESS INSTRUCTION ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN THE KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOM

This study is about the impact of focused phonemic awareness instruction on English language learners in a Kindergarten classroom. The gaps in early literacy skills for students entering Kindergarten can create long-lasting deficits for students (NAEP, 2022). The purpose of this study is to determine if the engagement and performance of ELL students changes during whole group phonemic awareness and phonics instruction when taught specific skills in small group. The study took place in a Kindergarten classroom with students who have been identified as English Language Learners through ACCESS testing. This qualitative study used interviews with teachers to determine the impact of the small group phonemic awareness instruction on the ELL students’ early literacy skills. The findings of the study include the positive impact of specific, targeted instruction of phonemic awareness skills on the performance and participation of English Language learners in a Kindergarten classroom.