Developing phonemic and phonological awareness in Italian EFL learners: a proposal of original and engaging teaching materials for primary school children.

Abstract

Several studies have suggested a correlation between phonological awareness skills and literacy development. The impact of phonemic and phonological awareness instruction in the L1, L2 and FL on a variety of learners has thus been increasingly investigated. However, phonological awareness instruction seems to be marginalized in foreign language teaching practices, especially in Italian EFL classrooms. The aim of the present research project was thus twofold. It primarily consisted of designing original phonemic and phonological awareness activities embedded in a narrative context that could be included in Italian primary three EFL curricula. Secondly, the effectiveness of the original teaching material was evaluated on typically developing Italian EFL learners. Four eight-year-old children were seen three times a week for seven weeks. Pre- and post-tests were administered in order to assess the impact of the activities on the participants’ phonemic and phonological awareness skills. The children were tested prior to and immediately after the instructional sessions, as well as three months after the conclusion of the study. Findings show that participants’ phonological and phonemic awareness skills improved and that their progress seemed to be long-lasting. The limits of the present study, along with suggestions for further research, are discussed.