The Effectiveness of Circle Activities in Developing Letter Recognition Skills among Preparatory Kindergarten Children at a Primary School in Luang Prabang Province

Abstract

This research aimed to: (1) study the efficiency of lesson plans on reading consonants with picture illustrations based on the 80/80 criterion; (2) examine the effectiveness of learning; and (3) investigate the pronunciation ability in reading consonants with picture illustrations of pre-primary (kindergarten preparatory level) students through circle activities at a Primary School, Luang Prabang Province. The target group used in this study consisted of 30 students, including 18 girls. Purposive sampling was employed by selecting a specific classroom and only the relevant informants from Khuathineung Primary School. The research instruments used for data collection included lesson plans, achievement tests, and a behavioral assessment form measuring reading skills in consonants with picture illustrations. The data were analyzed by calculating the mean, standard deviation, instructional efficiency (E₁/E₂), and effectiveness index (E.I.), and then interpreted accordingly. The research findings revealed that the instructional efficiency of teaching reading consonants with picture illustrations for pre-primary students through circle activities was 84.22/86.16, which was higher than the established criterion of 80/80. The effectiveness index (E.I.) of learning was 0.7025, indicating that students’ knowledge increased by 70.25%, which was higher than the predetermined criterion. The students’ pronunciation ability in reading consonants with picture illustrations through circle activities, based on mean scores and percentages respectively, were as follows: mean scores of 1.60, 1.63, 1.83, 2.03, 2.53, and 2.63; with corresponding percentages of 53.33%, 54.44%, 61.10%, 67.77%, 84.44%, and 87.77%, respectively.