Evaluating Phonological Awareness Standards in Ghana’s National Curriculum
Keywords:
Phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, curriculum standards, language instruction, reading instruction, alphabetic principleAbstract
Phonemic awareness is a reliable predictor of later reading achievement and an essential component of early reading and language instruction. The evidence suggests that students who do not develop an understanding of the alphabetic principle, the relationship between phonological and orthographic units of language, are at increased risk for difficulties in word reading, fluency, and reading comprehension. While a substantial body of research has examined phonemic awareness through experimental and intervention-based studies, relatively little attention has been given to the extent to which national curriculum standards align with evidence-based practices in phonological awareness instruction. This study addresses this gap through a content analysis of Ghana’s national language and literacy curriculum standards. Using the stages of the Phonological Awareness Screening Test (PAST) as an analytical framework, the study examined the presence and frequency of phonological awareness skills across the early, basic, and advanced developmental stages. Findings indicate that Ghana’s curriculum standards are predominantly focused on the early and basic stages of phonological awareness development, with comparatively limited emphasis on advanced phonemic awareness skills. The results suggest a need to strengthen curriculum standards to better reflect the full developmental continuum of phonological awareness and evidence-based literacy instruction, particularly for early grade learners.
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