Phonics Research

Phonics Research

There are a range of phonetic techniques to teach children, however the dispute is which one to teach them. The more traditional method of teaching phonics is called 'synthetic' phonic teaching, which involves the introduction of 44 different phonemes without putting them in context. However the new, updated version of phonics teaching is 'analytic' phonic system, which involves teaching phonics in context, so the sounds from children's books are recognised and focusing heavily on rhyming groups.


According to the Independent, research shows that using the 'analytic' phonic system, children's reading age as improved by 9 months and the brightest by 14 months, as apposed to the more traditional 'synthetic' phonic method improving children's reading age by a year. Furthermore the two methods are still being disputed as to which is more beneficial for children and more research needs to be carried out to confirm this.