This book emphasises the importance of developing syllable awareness in pre-readers and early readers to enhance their pronunciation, reading, spelling, and writing skills. Research shows that effective pronunciation is essential for improving communication skills, as it ensures clarity and understanding (Prikazchikov et al., 2024). By recognising syllables, young learners can identify sound units within words, which fosters phonological awareness. This awareness is crucial for understanding the complex sound system of a language, including words, sentences, syllables, onsets, rhymes, and phonics (Gillis, M., 2019).
Research indicates that early awareness of syllables helps children connect letters to syllable-sound units, which in turn enhances their phonemic awareness. This skill is crucial for mastering reading, writing, and spelling (Zagar et al., 2020). An example of syllables and phonemes can be learnt from the word “passionfruit”. This word can be phonetically analysed into 3 syllables: Pas-sion-fruit, each with a distinct vowel sound and 12 phonemes, represented as p-a-s-s-i-o-n-f-r-u-i-t.
To further improve children’s reading and writing abilities, research from the Effective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE, 2004) shows that high-quality preschool programmes significantly benefit children’s intellectual, social, and emotional development. Additionally, a supportive home learning environment—characterised by activities like reading, singing, shared thinking, and modelling positive behaviours—plays a crucial role in enhancing children’s academic and social skills. These factors help increase children’s proficiency in reading and maths by age 6.
Sylva et al. (2004) The Effective Provision of Preschool Education (EPPE) Project: Final Report: A Longitudinal Study Funded by the DfES 1997-2004. SSU/FR/2004/01. [online]. London: EPPE. Pp. 1–9. Available at: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10005309 (Accessed: 13 July 2025).
Zagar, D. et al. (2020) ‘Syllable-first rather than letter-first to improve phonemic awareness’, Scientific Reports, 22103(10), pp. 1–8. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-79240-y
Prikazchikov et al. (2024). Teaching Pronunciation with Confidence. Ames: Iowa State University Digital Press.
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