CONTEXTUAL AND PHONOLOGICAL APPROACHES IN EARLY READING INSTRUCTION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31949/jcp.v12i2.17841Abstract
Early reading is a fundamental skill that supports students’ cognitive and academic development in elementary education. However, many students still experience difficulties in recognizing letters, associating sounds with symbols, and understanding simple texts. These challenges indicate that early reading instruction has not optimally integrated phonological and contextual aspects of learning. This study aimed to develop a learning approach that integrates contextual and phonological aspects in early reading instruction. The research employed an Educational Design Research approach consisting of analysis, design, and evaluation stages. The participants included expert validators, elementary school teachers, and first-grade students. Data were collected through validation sheets, observation, questionnaires, and early reading tests. The results show that the developed learning approach is valid and feasible to be implemented in early reading instruction. The validation results indicate a high level of validity, and the learning process becomes more meaningful through the integration of contextual experiences and sound-symbol recognition. Students demonstrate better engagement and participation during the learning process. In conclusion, the integration of contextual and phonological approaches is appropriate for early reading instruction and has the potential to improve students’ early reading skills in elementary schools.
Keywords:
contextual approach, early reading, elementary education, phonological approachDownloads
References
Barquero, L. A., Davis, N., & Cutting, L. E. (2021). Neuroimaging of reading intervention: A systematic review and activation likelihood estimate meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 16(1), e0244315.
Cartwright, K. B., Marshall, T. R., & Wray, E. (2020). A road map for understanding reading comprehension difficulties and improving outcomes. Educational Psychology Review, 32(2), 403–430.
Castles, A., Rastle, K., & Nation, K. (2018). Ending the reading wars: Reading acquisition from novice to expert. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(1), 5–51.
Connor, C. M., Day, S. L., Phillips, B. M., Sparapani, N., Ingebrand, S. W., McLean, L., & Kaschak, M. P. (2020). Reciprocal effects of self-regulation, semantic knowledge, and reading comprehension in early elementary school. Child Development, 91(6), e1344–e1360.
Duke, N. K., & Cartwright, K. B. (2021). The science of reading progresses: Communicating advances beyond the simple view of reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(S1), S25–S44.
Ehri, L. C. (2005). Learning to read words: Theory, findings, and issues. Scientific Studies of Reading, 9(2), 167–188.
Foorman, B. R., Herrera, S., Petscher, Y., Mitchell, A., & Truckenmiller, A. (2020). The structure of oral language and reading and their relation to comprehension in kindergarten through grade 2. Reading and Writing, 33, 1409–1434.
Gillon, G. T. (2018). Phonological awareness: From research to practice (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
Graham, S. (2020). The sciences of reading and writing must become more fully integrated. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S35–S44.
Guthrie, J. T., Klauda, S. L., & Ho, A. N. (2021). Modeling the relationships among reading instruction, motivation, engagement, and achievement for adolescents. Reading Research Quarterly, 56(S1), S203–S221.
Johnson, E. B. (2002). Contextual teaching and learning: What it is and why it’s here to stay. Corwin Press.
Kim, Y. S. G. (2020). Toward a comprehensive model of reading comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S43–S68.
Lonigan, C. J., Burgess, S. R., & Schatschneider, C. (2018). Examining the simple view of reading with elementary school children: Still simple after all these years. Remedial and Special Education, 39(5), 260–273.
McKenney, S., & Reeves, T. C. (2012). Conducting educational design research. Routledge.
Melby-Lervåg, M., Lyster, S. A. H., & Hulme, C. (2020). Phonological skills and their role in learning to read: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 146(5), 367–402.
Perfetti, C. A., & Stafura, J. Z. (2014). Word knowledge in a theory of reading comprehension. Scientific Studies of Reading, 18(1), 22–37.
Petscher, Y., Cabell, S. Q., Catts, H. W., Compton, D. L., Foorman, B. R., Hart, S. A., & Wagner, R. K. (2020). How the science of reading informs 21st-century education. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S267–S282.
Plomp, T., & Nieveen, N. (2013). Educational design research. Netherlands Institute for Curriculum Development.
Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. National Academy Press.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nurul Fatonah, Vismaia S Damaianti, Ernawulan Syaodih
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
