Explicit and Differentiated Phonics Instruction on Pupils’ Literacy Skills in Gambian Lower Basic Schools

Instructional procedures in literacy skills in Gambian classrooms often adopt the conventional direct approach which includes spelling-reading-dictation without due attention to the sound/letter connection. Although literacy skills in English remain the fundamental proof of formal education in the Gambia, proficiency in reading and writing skills is very low among most pupils in the lower basic schools. Phonics instruction reinforces the letter-sound relationship and improves literacy skills and spelling. Although phonics instruction has been found to be effective for teaching literacy skills to EFL students, there has not been much research on phonics instruction in Gambian classrooms. This study investigated the effects of explicit and differentiated phonics instructional strategies on achievement in literacy skills. The moderating effect of parental involvement was equally examined. The study adopted a pretest-posttest, control group quasi-experimental design using 164 pupils from four randomly selected schools, and treatment lasted six weeks. The result showed a significant main effect of treatment on pupils’ achievement in writing (F (2; 125) = 65.485) and reading (F (2; 125) = 26.67). Participants in explicit phonics instruction obtained the highest achievement score (x = 28.4), differentiated phonics instruction (x =16.3), and control (x = 13.03). Parental involvement had no significant main effect on pupils’ achievement in literacy skills. The two-way interaction effect was not significant. Therefore, language teachers should adopt these strategies to improve the quality of instruction and proficiency in literacy skills in Gambian lower basic schools.