Beginning to Read

In general the class 1 reading test shows that primary school children who have passed through kindergarten are able to read better than those who have not been to kindergarten. One reason for this is because their readiness to read (letter recognition, acquaintance with books) is greater than those who have not been to kindergarten. In addition those children who go to kindergarten generally come from urban families and higher socio-economic groups.

Besides their learning experience researchers have found that students who are taught by purely phonetic methods have lower reading abilities compared to those taught using other methods. In the class 1 reading test many children were so busy spelling and sounding out the letters that they failed to understand the meaning of the words. They also experienced special difficulties in sounding out and reading words with double consonants or vowels (bendera, menganggu, kerbau).

Their preoocupation with spelling out words inhibited their ability to understand the sentences and meaning of what they were reading. As a result the children experienced difficulties in answering questions about what they had read. In several countries learning to read phonetically has long been abandoned, because of its many deficiencies. If the teacher teaches the children to spell according to the names of the letters of the alphabet 'i...b...u' the children get confused.

Why do we read 'ibu' as 'i-be-u'. Things get even more difficult for the students with words like 'menyanyi', 'belajana', 'belanjaanya' etc. As a result the children's reading speed and level of understanding are low. Research in a number of countries shows that the negative impact of phonetic approaches can persist into adulthood. The children need to know the alphabet, but an overemphasis on phonetics can have negative consequences.

How can things be improved? It is best for children in kindergarten and the early primary grades if activities such as drawing, telling stories, reading and writing are integrated. Early reading activities should include can best be done using drawings and simple words (meja, topi, kuda). It is best if the children learn to read meaningful words as a whole rather than letter by letter. After they can read whole words the children learn to read syllables and, if necessary, letter by letter, not the other way round starting with letters.

The children's ability to express themselves (orally and in writing) can be developed using the children's own experiences, which they express by drawing and telling stories using their own words. If the children cannot write on their own the teacher helps them to write what they dictate to him or her. In other words it is best if early reading and writing skills are developed in the context of and by using the children's own words, not by using words or sentences given by the teacher or taken from the textbook.

Ibu Mistin from Batu and Bpk Kardoyo from Pacitan reporting on the state of education in their districts.

Ibu Dina from the PERFORM Project