Teacher-Awareness and Utilisation of Phonics in Teaching Reading at Primary Schools in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Ibadan Nigeria

Essential as the reading skill is for academic and over-all development, many pupils in Nigeria primary schools have difficulty reading in English. Literature links this with teacher use of obsolete methods and strategies among other factors. Phonics, a proven method in curbing reading difficulty globally is incorporated in Nigerian English Studies Curriculum but it is doubtful if teachers utilise this method. Previous studies have mainly been empirical. A dearth of literature on teacher awareness and utilisation of phonics therefore necessitated the present enquiry. The study adopted the descriptive survey design. Twenty-two public primary schools were randomly selected in Ibadan North Local Government and teachers of English at the lower primary schools were purposively selected. A total of 32 teachers were used for the study. Teachers Awareness Questionnaire on Phonics (TAQP), (r = .75) Teacher Utilisation of Phonics Rating Scale (TUPRS) (r = .99) were used for data collection. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that junior public primary school teachers in Ibadan North Local Government do not possess adequate knowledge to impact pupils reading ability. Hence the need for regular teacher-in-service training and the inclusion of phonological awareness in the pre-teachers Studies Curricula.