A qualitative analysis of the decoding error patterns among Filipino beginning readers transitioning to the Marungko approach

The current study focuses on the effects of previous exposure to a traditional reading approach in Filipino on the decoding proficiency of beginning readers in preschool introduced to the explicit phonics program called Marungko.Problems in reading Filipino words committed by five-and six-year old children in an outreach preschool within a low-income community are analyzed using decoding error pattern analysis.The results are attributed to the orthography of the Filipino language and the contextual variables that affect developing reading abilities among the sample group.The researchers conclude that during transitions from one reading approach to another, the unlearning of previously acquired letter-sound correspondences poses difficulties even in the mother tongue.