Whole Language Method or Phonics Method for Better Reading? An Eye-tracking Study

Abstract

This study aims to compare the reading skills of individuals who learned reading through the Phonics Method (PM) and those who learned reading through the Whole Language Method (WLM) in terms of silent and oral reading performance and processes. A causal-comparative design was followed to reveal the causal relationship between the methods of teaching reading and individuals’ silent and oral reading processes and performance. The data were collected from 136 undergraduate students in Türkiye in the 2019-2020 academic year through two reading comprehension tests and prosodic assessment of oral reading skills to evaluate their L1 reading performance, and an eye-tracking system to evaluate their silent and oral reading processes. According to the teaching literacy method, no significant difference was obtained in the participants' silent and oral reading comprehension tests. However, the PM group demonstrated better prosodic reading skills compared to the WLM group. Similarly, their silent and oral reading processes showed a significant difference in favour of the PM group. Therefore, it can be concluded that the readers who learned reading through the PM had a more favorable reader profile, particularly regarding their reading processes. This study provides direct and cogent support to the discussions in the literature on the effectiveness of these teaching reading methods.