Effectiveness of Phonics-Based Blending Instruction for Primary Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), especially those with reading difficulties such as dyslexia, often experience significant challenges in acquiring basic literacy skills. One of the primary reasons for these difficulties is the inability to connect letters with their corresponding sounds and blend those sounds into meaningful words. As a result, many students fall behind in reading during the early years of schooling.

This study examines the effectiveness of structured phonics-based blending instruction in improving reading abilities among primary school students with Specific Learning Disabilities. A pre-test and post-test intervention design was used. Students were first screened using the Specific Learning Disability Screening Questionnaire (SLD-SQ) and further assessed using the Diagnostic Test for Learning Disability (DTLD). Following identification, a structured phonics instruction program focusing on letter–sound recognition and blending strategies was implemented.

A specially designed Foundational Literacy Worksheet Module: Phonic Sounds with Blending was used as the central instructional tool during the intervention. The module included sound recognition activities, letter identification tasks, mirror-image correction exercises, blending practice, word reading tasks, and sentence reading activities.

The intervention was conducted over several weeks with regular guided practice using multisensory learning strategies. The results indicated clear improvement in students’ ability to recognize letter sounds, blend phonemes, decode simple words, and read short sentences. Students also showed increased confidence and engagement during reading tasks.

The findings suggest that structured phonics instruction combined with blending practice and targeted worksheet modules can significantly improve early reading skills among students with Specific Learning Disabilities.