Abstract:
The purpose of the study was to determine if using a soundfield amplification system to deliver
reading instruction resulted in an increase in phonemic awareness and phonics skills, thereby
increasing proficiency in reading. The proposed intervention was to employ the use of a
soundfield amplification system during the phonemic awareness and phonics components of a
unit of reading instruction. My action research proposal states the research questions, defines the
variables, describes the setting and participants, and outlines the proposed intervention. A firstgrade
teacher participated in the study involving 16 of her students. The teacher and researcher
delivered reading instruction using the soundfield amplification system. As described in the
article manuscript, results on a posttest indicated a nominal increase in phonemic awareness and
a larger increase in phonics skills over pretest levels. Student interviews and a teacher interview
revealed positive effects on student attitudes and engagement from the intervention. The findings
of the action research were communicated to the school community through the monthly meeting
of our site-based management (STARS) team. Teachers and administrators were enthusiastic
about the findings, although we agreed more research is needed.