Phonics - Should It Be Taught In UK Schools?

In a recent BBC News article reported that Andrew Davis, a researcher at Durham University, suggests that synethic phonics sessions may not be suitable for able readers in schools.

Davis states:

To subject either the fully fledged readers, or those who are well on their way, to a rigid diet of intensive phonics is an affront to their emerging identities as persons. To require this of students who have already gained some maturity in the rich and nourishing human activity of reading is almost a form of abuse.

Davis' comments have started an interesting debate amongst educational professionals, parents and the public. Yet what of phonics in general? Should they continue to be taught in UK schools?

NATE (National Association for the Teachers of English) have also voiced concerns over a possible over-emphasis of phonics teaching in schools.

Wyse and Goswami (2008) argue that a recent paper set out by the government provided no empirical data that children who are taught synthetic phonics become effective readers. They also maintain that systematic phonics instruction may be more effective. However Johnston, McGeown and Watson (2012) compared two groups of children, aged 10, who were taught either analytic or synthetic phonics. They found that the group who were taught synthetic phonics exhibited better reading, spelling and reading comprehension. As well as this, they also found that synthetic phonics led to no impairment of reading irregular words.

The debate between synthetic and analytic phonics, as well as the debate of teaching phonics in schools, is nothing new. Furthermore, more research is needed in this fascinating area of reading development.

Goswami (2005) suggests it is important to step back from the synethic and analytic phonics argument and realise that most children will become effective readers of their own language in time. He also suggests that two important factors to consider when assessing children's phonic acquisition is the phonological complexity of the spoken language and the written complexity of the written language.

References:

Goswami U. (2005). Synthetic Phonics and Learning to Read: A Cross‐language Perspective, Educational Psychology in Practice, 21 (4) 273-282. DOI: 10.1080/02667360500344823

Johnston R.S., McGeown S. & Watson J.E. (2012). Long-term effects of synthetic versus analytic phonics teaching on the reading and spelling ability of 10 year old boys and girls, Reading and Writing, 25 (6) 1365-1384. DOI: 10.1007/s11145-011-9323-x

Wyse D. & Goswami U. (2008). Synthetic phonics and the teaching of reading, British Educational Research Journal, 34 (6) 691-710. DOI: 10.1080/01411920802268912