THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE JOLLY PHONICS METHOD ON LETTER RECOGNITION ABILITY IN 5-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN THROUGH LETTER CARD MEDIA

Yulva Mayarita¹, Prianggi Amelasasih², Yulyanto³

Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik^1,2,ï¿½ Universitas Kuningan³

[email protected]¹, [email protected]², [email protected]³

Keywords

Abstract

jolly phonics, letter recognition skills, letter card media

Children aged 0-6 years are a fundamental educational period because development at this age determines development at the next age, which is determined by various stimuli provided from an early age. This research aims to determine the effectiveness of the jolly phonics method in improving the ability to recognize letters in five year old children using letter cards at TK X Surabaya. This type of research is experimental research in the form of Single Subject Research (SSR) using an ABAB design. The subject of this research was one of the TK X students in Surabaya. Data collection techniques in this research used pretest and posttest. The data obtained was analyzed using comparative descriptive. The results of the research show that the grades obtained by children have increased from before. At the first baseline the score was 2, and after the first intervention the child's score increased to 4. At the second baseline measurement the child obtained a score of 6, and after the second intervention the child's score increased to 8. Based on the research results, the use of the jolly phonics method is efficacious in improving children's letter recognition skills through letter cards for Kindergarten X Surabaya children.

Corresponding Author: Yulva Mayarita

E-mail: [email protected]

INTRODUCTION

Children aged 0-6 years are a fundamental educational period because development at this age determines the development of the following age, which is determined by various stimuli given from an early age (Suryana, 2021). Growth and development at this age are significant because this period is called the golden age. In this case, the child's level of development includes cognitive, motoric, sensory, physical, language, and emotional development (Subarkah, 2019). According to researchers, in this developmental period, the cognitive development of children aged 2-7 years is included in the sensory-motor and pre-operational stages. During this time, children's cognitive development begins to develop, encouraging language development (Putriana et al., 2021).

Language development is one of the phases in a child's development, especially in early childhood, namely the ability to recognize letters (Fortuna et al., 2018). Letter recognition is a significant predictor and the first step in reading ability or skills, where accuracy in pronouncing and saying letters based on sound are predictors of achieving the initial stages of the reading process (Daly et al., 2005). Letter recognition is a skill in the reading process stage where children can name and pronounce letters correctly, which means children will process and store the information they receive so that in the reading process, this information is used in long-term memory (Howard et al., 2010). The researchers stated that children's letter recognition ability is the ability to identify the differences between letter sounds in terms of the shape and sound of the letters of the alphabet (Samur, 2019).

Letter recognition includes visual recognition and knowledge of letter names, which can provide children with a broader insight into the sounds of these letters (Testolin et al., 2017). According to Minister of Education and Culture Regulation number 137 of 2014, one of the indicators of letter recognition in children aged 4-5 years is that children can imitate the letters AZ and can differentiate between the letters B, D, F, P, M, N, V, W, S, Z (Syam et al., 2022). This is by what was stated by researchers where children are initially non-readers, that is, when they start to be able to read they will use phonetic cues where they will master the system of relationships between letters and their combination with the sounds they pronounce (Chen et al., 2014). Early reading ability has a relationship with cognitive factors, including phonological awareness, visual perception, long-term memory, semantic knowledge, and metacognition.

Children usually have difficulty recognizing letters because, at first glance, they have the same shape, so it is difficult for children to understand. The inability to recognize letters for children will have a harmful impact when they enter elementary school (PH Firdaus, 2019). Researchers say that children must understand the concept of the alphabet as a provision for their reading, writing, and language skills (Astuti, 2022). In learning activities, we find many children who do not yet know the letters A -Z, including vowel letters such as A, I, U, E, O, and consonant or non-consonant letters. According to researchers, one factor that influences early reading abilities is visual perception problems, where children usually have difficulty learning to read early, so activities are carried out by providing stimuli to improve their visual perception abilities (Dewi, 2015).

The problem currently occurring is that many children feel bored and less interested when learning; this is due to the learning process. Besides that, parents often demand that their children be able to read and recognize letters immediately. This problem was also found in one of the kindergartens in Surabaya, where, based on the results of observations and interviews conducted by researchers in psychoeducational activities carried out at the school on November 12, 2023, problems were found related to the ability to recognize letters in early childhood.

Based on the results of interviews with parents and teachers, it was found that the condition where children are less able to differentiate between letters and letter sounds and the parent's desire for their children to be able to fluently and quickly recognize letters and read is one of the problems in this case. Apart from that, there is a lack of learning media, so they tend to get bored when learning occurs. Using the same media repeatedly in the learning process causes children to feel bored and fed up quickly. Looking at these problems, children's ability to recognize letters needs to be developed appropriately, and the principle of learning while playing still guides methods. According to researchers, one solution that can be done to attract children's interest in learning is by using media and exciting learning methods carried out while playing (MK et al., 2021).

Based on an interview with one of the student's parents, when studying at home, children have difficulty recognizing sounds and distinguishing letter shapes. The student's parent explained that there are several characteristics of the child having difficulty learning about letters at home, namely not being able to distinguish sounds between letters, having difficulty distinguishing the shape of letters, and having difficulty recognizing and remembering the sounds of letters that are almost the same.

Apart from that, the teacher at the school also explained the same thing, where during the learning process the student had difficulty recognizing the sounds and shapes of letters compared to other students. The use of interesting media in the learning process is a stimulus or stimulation so that children are interested in learning about letters and do not feel bored so that children's memory regarding learning letter recognition becomes strong. Besides that, the teacher's repeated use of the same media in the learning process can also cause children to get bored easily. The teacher also explained that there are several characteristics of students who experience difficulty in recognizing letters, namely not being able to recognize and remember letters, having difficulty distinguishing the sounds and shapes of letters, often mispronouncing simple words, and having difficulty recognizing letters in their own names.

The Researchers also revealed that early childhood education emphasizes playing while learning, which means every learning activity must be fun. The need for appropriate media and methods in learning also influences children's low understanding of learning material (Neppala et al., 2018). If this is checked, it will result in children's learning outcomes being less than optimal and not in line with expectations; children will also have difficulties when entering the next level of education.

Stimulation in introducing letters to children requires innovation and creativity, packaged in various games to introduce letters to children through media (Saleha et al., 2022). Success in introducing letters to young children is related to the stimulation methods used in the learning process. The Department of National Education in the Kindergarten curriculum states that when providing stimulation methods for children, they should pay attention to development and needs, play methods, and fun techniques. According researchers, the jolly phonics method is a method for recognizing letters that can be used as an alternative stimulation for children (Ojur, 2023).

The jolly phonics method develops children's early reading skills through sound synthesis, emphasizing a multisensory approach through fun activities (Calva Santos, 2022). Children who hear various sounds and can use the sounds in words are more successful in learning to read (Wolf, 2016).ï¿½

This is by the results of research conducted by researchers, where after implementing the jolly phonics method in initial reading learning activities, children's ability to read initially and pronounce phonemes increased (Nasrawi & Al-Jamal, 2017). So, the jolly phonics method can affect and improve children's initial reading or letter recognition. Apart from that, this is also based on the results of research by researchers, where the research results say that jolly phonics can stimulate and increase children's interest in learning, where children can demonstrate skills in identifying reading (Belbes et al., 2022). Besides that, this method is considered exciting and fun, so children are motivated to learn.

According to research conducted by researchers some activities can be carried out using the jolly phonics method, one of which is the introduction of letters through media, where one of the media that can be used is flashcards or letter cards which are done repeatedly at each meeting (Srikandewie & Yon, 2021). According to researchers, good learning media can increase learning enthusiasm so children can achieve learning success (Hardiyanti et al., 2018). One of the exciting learning media to improve children's ability to recognize letters is the letter card game or flashcard, which can be used in jolly phonics method activities.

The Researchers said that letter card games are an effective playing method for developing children's ability to recognize letters because children aged 4-5 years are in the pre-operational stage (Alriani & Arsyad, 2021). This is to the research results of researchers who found that using letter card media in recognizing letters for children had a significant influence (PH Firdaus, 2019). Apart from that, the results of research by researchers concluded that the use of flashcards could improve letter recognition in early childhood, with the result that children can differentiate each letter of the alphabet, pronounce the letters of the alphabet, remember and write the letters of the alphabet. The use of flashcard media can be used in learning activities while singing together by means of children singing songs about letters and then the companion shuffling the flashcards with the aim that children can differentiate between one letter and another. Then the companion asks the child to show the letters mentioned.

Based on these conditions, in this study, the researchers were interested in using letter card media using the jolly phonics method in an effort to improve the ability to recognize letters in children aged five years. With the presence of letter card media using the jolly phonics method, it is hoped that it can stimulate children in learning to improve chitheater recognition.

RESEARCH METHODS

This research was carried out at TK X Surabaya. This research uses an metode penelitian kuantitatif dengan experimental research design in the form of Single Subject Research (SSR). This research uses the ABAB research design. An old student who attends TK X Surabaya with the initials EMW. The data collection technique in this research is to use a letter recognition ability test as a checklist. There are indicators or abilities observed in this research, namely the ability to pronounce letters and pronounce letter phonemes to measure students' abilities at A1 and A2 without using media, and with the same indicators to measure students' abilities at B1 and B2 using which media. each phase measurement: the child is asked to pronounce a minimum of five letters. The data analysis technique used in this research is descriptive comparative, namely comparing the results at the baseline and intervention stages using descriptions and then explaining them in graphical form.

Based on statistical technical tests using paired sample t-test, it shows that there is a difference in scores between before and after the intervention. The difference in the mean or average of the test results, namely the pretest 4.00 < posttest 6.00, means that descriptively there is a difference in the average results between the pretest and posttest. Based on the t-test output, the sig value is known (2-tailed) which is 0.002< 0.05 so it can be concluded that the use of the jolly phonics method is effective in improving letter recognition in children. Apart from that, the use of flashcard media in recognizing letters in children is an interesting media for children and can be used in jolly phonics method activities because the unique and colorful shapes and images in them attract children's attention in learning.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The results of this study include data in the form of subject scores in each phase of baseline 1 (A1), intervention 1 (B1), baseline 2 (A2), and intervention 2 (B2 ):

Comparison of subject scores in each phase.

No	Student's name	Mark
No	Student's name	A1	B1	A2	B2
1	EMW	2	4	6	8

Based on the table above, it is found that in each intervention phase using the jolly phonics method in presenting letter cards, the child's score can increase so that the child's ability to recognize letters can be said to have increased. The following is a graphic image that explains the table that has been presented, namely in the form of a comparison graph of children's letter recognition abilities, as seen from the child's score in pronouncing letters in each phase.

Based on the value graph above, the researcher concludes that using the jolly phonics method using letter card media effectively improves the letter recognition abilities of students at Kindergarten X Surabaya. This can be seen from the child's ability to pronounce letters and phonemes during intervention using the jolly phonics method using letter card media, which is better and more fun than just using a blackboard and regular writing media.

Based on the pretest results, the results show that the ability to recognize the subject's letters is still within the deficient criteria, where the child gets a total score of 2. Children's ability to recognize letters was still lacking before intervention was given using the jolly phonics method. After using the jolly phonics method, the posttest results showed that the subject's ability to recognize letters had increased with a total score of 8 and was classified as very good. Using the jolly phonics method through letter cards can improve early reading skills, namely recognizing letters and pronouncing phonemes in early childhood.

Apart from the success indicators achieved by the subject, other successes can also be seen in the children's enthusiasm during the activity. This shows that there is an activity process based on what the researcher desires and plans, where children carry out activities without coercion. This is proven by the fact that when the posttest intervention was completed, the subject still wanted to learn with the researcher and continue with the letters from QZ. This condition can occur because this method is a fun method for children. This letter recognition activity needs to be repeated consistently so that children are also consistent in recognizing letters to provide children with the ability to read later.

Using the jolly phonics method through letter cards has improved children's letter recognition abilities. This can be seen from the results of data analysis, which shows that the scores obtained by children in each intervention always increase and get higher scores than when using a blackboard and regular writing.

In the first baseline measurement, the researcher provided writing in letters of the alphabet using a whiteboard without using the jolly phonics method and then asked the child to pronounce the letters the researcher wrote. Children look less enthusiastic and bored when asked to pronounce letters. Children often make mistakes in differentiating letter sounds and still need clarification when pronouncing them. The results of the activities carried out show that the child's ability to recognize letters is within the deficient criteria.

Based on the problems in the first baseline measurement, in providing the first intervention, the researcher used the jolly phonics method with letter cards to replace ordinary letter text written on the blackboard so that children were more enthusiastic in pronouncing letters to improve their letter recognition abilities. In the first intervention phase, it was proven that children were more enthusiastic and enthusiastic in pronouncing letters and letter sounds using the jolly phonics method via letter cards. The child's desire to know something is the first capital in implementing this intervention. From the activities carried out, it can be seen that the child's ability to recognize letters is starting to experience changes and improvements from before, where the child got a score of 2 in the first baseline and increased to 4 in the first intervention.

The researcher used text or regular writing in the second baseline phase, the same as in the first baseline phase, but with different letters. In the measurements in this phase, the child scored six and was proven to have improved from the previous phase at the first baseline. However, the obstacles experienced at the first baseline recurred at the second baseline, where the child was less enthusiastic about learning. Children need to be more active and more energized when pronouncing letters. Children seem unfocused and need more concentration in learning because they feel bored with the letter texts provided.

In the second intervention phase measurement, the researcher used the jolly phonics method using letter cards again. Children can answer and pronounce letters and letter sounds correctly, which continues to improve from before. Children remain focused and enthusiastic in carrying out activities. From the activity results, the final results or posttest showed that the children showed perfect criteria compared to before. This is because the child's interest and enthusiasm during the activity can be seen when the jolly phonics method is applied using letter cards, which increases their interest in pronouncing and learning letters.

Using the jolly phonics method using letter cards has increased children's enthusiasm and interest in learning to recognize letters. This is by the results of research from researchers where after applying the jolly phonics method in initial reading learning activities, children's ability to read initially and pronounce phonemes increased (Rendï¿½n Romero, 2019). So, the jolly phonics method can affect and improve children's initial reading or letter recognition. Apart from that, applying the jolly phonics method using letter card media has also been proven effective. According to research, one exciting learning media to improve children's ability to recognize letters is the letter card game or flashcard, which can be used in jolly phonics method activities (Hardiyanti et al., 2018).

From several theories and research results regarding the application of the jolly phonics method in improving children's letter recognition abilities through letter card media, the same results were obtained the jolly phonics method using letter card media can improve children's letter recognition ability so that children are motivated, enthusiastic and enthusiastic in learning about letters. The advantage of the jolly phonics method is that it implements a method using singing, attracting children's interest in learning. Presenting letter cards with various colors and attractive pictures further increases children's enthusiasm. It has an impact on improving children's letter recognition results.

CONCLUSION

Based on the above research results from the baseline and intervention, using the jolly phonics method effectively improves children's letter recognition abilities through letter card media in 5-year-old children at Kindergarten X Surabaya. The results of the research above regarding the effectiveness of using the jolly phonics method with letter card media can be applied in the learning process at school or for other children to improve children's letter recognition abilities so that children do not get bored with monotonous methods and media. The jolly phonics method using letter cards can develop letter recognition abilities as evidenced by the differences and improvements between the pretest and posttest results. So this research can be said to meet the success indicators desired by the researcher. Where the indicators of success are marked by the child being able to show one of the letters of the alphabet and being able to show the letter correctly, the child being able to pronounce the letter correctly and correctly, the child being able to pronounce and show the sounds of the letters correctly and precisely, and the child being able to differentiate the shape of the letters alphabet.

REFERENCE

Alriani, I., & Arsyad, N. (2021). Using Educational Games Tools through Word Card to Improve Childrenï¿½s Begining Reading Ability at Kindergarten Pembina in Beabunta, North Luwu. ICHELSS: International Conference on Humanities, Education, Law, and Social Sciences, 1(1), 547ï¿½554.]

Astuti, E. P. (2022). Analisis Kemampuan Keaksaraan Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun Menggunakan Media Pohon Huruf Di TK Negeri Pembina 2 Kota Jambi. Universitas Jambi.

Belbes, M. E., Bandoy, M. M., Tan, C. S., Yazon, A. D., & Buenvinida, L. P. (2022). Effectiveness of Jolly Phonics Program towards Strengthening of Language Literacy: Experimental Case in the Philippines. International Journal of Theory and Application in Elementary and Secondary School Education, 4(2), 202ï¿½218. https://doi.org/10.31098/ijtaese.v4i2.1077

Calva Santos, L. de la. (2022). Developing reading skills using a phonic method enhanced through neurodidactic techniques.

Chen, X., Anderson, R. C., Li, H., & Shu, H. (2014). Visual, phonological and orthographic strategies in learning to read Chinese. Reading Development and Difficulties in Monolingual and Bilingual Chinese Children, 23ï¿½47.

Dewi, S. U. S. (2015). Pengaruh metode multisensori dalam meningkatkan kemampuan membaca permulaan pada anak kelas awal sekolah dasar. Modeling: Jurnal Program Studi PGMI, 2(1), 1ï¿½13.

Firdaus, M. K., & Handayani, D. A. P. (2021). Meningkatkan Kemampuan Mengenal Huruf Anak Usia Dini Melalui Media Busy Book 3D. Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini Undiksha, 9(1), 53ï¿½62. https://doi.org/10.23887/paud.v9i1.35719

Firdaus, P. H. (2019). Peningkatan Kemampuan Mengenal Huruf Melalui Media Kartu Huruf. JAPRA (Jurnal Pendidikan Raudhatul Athfal), 2(1), 66ï¿½73.

Hardiyanti, Y., Husain, M. S., & Nurabdiansyah, N. (2018). Perancangan media pengenalan warna untuk anak usia dini. Jurnal Imajinasi, 2(2), 93ï¿½100. 10.26858/i.v2i2.9553

Nasrawi, A., & Al-Jamal, D. (2017). The effect of using jolly phonics on Jordanian first grade pupilsï¿½ reading. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching, 4(2), 106ï¿½119.

Neppala, P., Sherer, M. V, Larson, G., Bryant, A. K., Panjwani, N., Murphy, J. D., & Gillespie, E. F. (2018). An interactive contouring module improves engagement and interest in radiation oncology among preclinical medical students: Results of a randomized trial. Practical Radiation Oncology, 8(4), e190ï¿½e198.

Ojur, J. (2023). Phonics programmes and early literacy development among preschool children. Kampala International University, College of education, open distance and e ï¿½.

Putriana, S., Neviyarni, N., & Irdamurni, I. (2021). Perkembangan Intelektual pada Usia Sekolah Dasar. Jurnal Pendidikan Tambusai, 5(1), 1771ï¿½1777.

Rendï¿½n Romero, S. I. (2019). Bilingual literacy in early childhood education and primary education: The jolly phonics method.

Saleha, L., Baharun, H., & Utami, W. T. (2022). Implementation of Digital Literacy to Develop Social Emotional in Early Childhood. Indonesian Journal of Early Childhood Educational Research (IJECER), 1(1), 1ï¿½10. http://dx.doi.org/10.31958/ijecer.v1i1.5834

Samur, Y. (2019). Kes Sesi: A mobile game designed to improve kindergartenersï¿½ recognition of letter sounds. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 35(2), 294ï¿½304. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12331

Srikandewie, Y. N., & Yon, A. E. (2021). Improving Students Spelling Skills through Using Jolly Phonics Method (Age 5 Years). Dialectical Literature and Educational Journal, 6(2), 44ï¿½49. https://doi.org/10.51714/dlejpancasakti.v6i2.51.pp.44-49

Subarkah, M. A. (2019). Pengaruh gadget terhadap perkembangan anak. Rausyan Fikr: Jurnal Pemikiran Dan Pencerahan, 15(1). http://dx.doi.org/10.31000/rf.v15i1.1374

Suryana, D. (2021). Pendidikan anak usia dini teori dan praktik pembelajaran. Prenada Media.

Syam, N., Afiif, A., & Damayanti, E. (2022). The role of alphabet book in improving preschool childrenï¿½s letter recognition. Journal of Early Childhood Care and Education, 5(1), 59ï¿½72. https://doi.org/10.26555/jecce.v5i1.3991

Testolin, A., Stoianov, I., & Zorzi, M. (2017). Letter perception emerges from unsupervised deep learning and recycling of natural image features. Nature Human Behaviour, 1(9), 657ï¿½664.

Vortuna, D., Ratiyah, S., & Paouru, J. B. (2018). Peningkatan kemampuan mengenal huruf melalui permainan kartu huruf pada kelompok B4 TK Negeri Pembina 1 Palembang Tahun Ajaran 2018/2019. Jurnal Tumbuh Kembang, 5(2). ttps://doi.org/10.36706/jtk.v5i2.7567

Wolf, G. M. (2016). sound reading: Teaching preschool children print-to-sound processing. Early Childhood Education Journal, 44, 11ï¿½19. https://doi.org/10.31098/ijtaese.v4i2.1077