The effects of phonemic awareness instructions on L2 listening comprehension: A meta-analysis

Abstract

This study examines the effect of phonemic awareness instruction on listening comprehension ability in learning English as a second language or foreign language (L2). The searching procedures were carried out using Publish or Perish with discreetly selected keywords. Eight studies with 13 samples published between 2000 and 2020 were obtained. Hedges' g was calculated, leveraging Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) software. The overall effect size of phonemic awareness instruction on listening skills was found to be large (Hedges' g = 0.99, lower bound = 0.82, upper bound = 1.61). The result demonstrated that phonemic awareness instructions to beginners (Hedges' g = 0.86) or primary school students (Hedges' g = 3.67) might have a large effect on enhancing their listening skills. Furthermore, research that conducted phonemic awareness instructions (Hedges' g = 1.43) showed a much larger effect size than phonics instructions (Hedges' g = 0.45), suggesting the need for a more focused phonemic instruction for L2 learners. Lastly, the effectiveness of phonemic awareness instruction was better assessed when using intensive listening measurements (Hedges' g = 1.43) rather than selective ones (Hedges' g = 0.80). These results collectively indicate that phonemic awareness instructions could be both effective and practical for helping L2 learners improve listening skills.