Phonemic Awareness Knowledge and Skills among English Medium Primary School Teachers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

Phonemic awareness (PA) is widely recognized as a critical foundation for early literacy development; however, many teachers lack the requisite knowledge and skills to teach it effectively. This study examined the levels of PA knowledge and skills among English Medium Primary School teachers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Utilizing two adapted instruments, the Phonemic Awareness Knowledge Survey (PAKS) and the Phonemic Awareness Skills Survey (PASS), the study assessed the theoretical understanding and practical abilities of 45 teachers across 15 schools. The findings revealed substantial gaps in both PA knowledge and skills. Majority of the participants exhibited limited understanding of PA concepts, instructional strategies, and assessment methods, with 73.9% demonstrating a lack of awareness of key aspects of phonemic awareness. Furthermore, while participants performed adequately on simpler PA tasks, they struggled with more complex skills such as phoneme counting and segmenting, highlighting a discrepancy between their perceived and actual competencies. These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive teacher training programs that integrate both theoretical and practical elements of PA instruction. The study recommends targeted professional development initiatives, ongoing support mechanisms, and structured interventions to strengthen teachers' PA instructional skills, thereby enhancing students' reading outcomes.