AWARENESS OF PHONETICS IN DEVELOPING SKILLS RELATED TO READING AND COMMUNICATION AMONG B.ED. STUDENTS

The importance of reading should not be overlooked, as learning to read determines a
large part of one’s destiny. Every language has its collection of symbols and a unique
way of pronouncing them. Learning to decode their distinct symbols is required for
reading. The study conducted by Chall (1969, p. 93)1 stressed that students who recognize
their letters, read and comprehend better. Hence providing some kind of training
program in Phonetics would help the learners not only recognize symbols and their
corresponding sounds but also to read fluently and correctly. Reading and spelling
difficulties are reduced and eased with instruction in speech-sound awareness and hence
classroom instruction must have some training program on Phonetics that will help in
accelerating reading and understanding. As one of the main goals of learning phonetics
is to enable students to understand words even when they are spoken to by someone with
a different accent. Learners' confidence and enthusiasm can be boosted by strengthening
their pronunciation and also adult learners possess the ability to self-examine and selfcorrect
what they learn.
The contemporary study intends to find out the awareness among B.Ed. student teachers
in learning Phonetics to improve their reading abilities and communication skills. Hence

the investigator took a sample of 74 pre-service teachers from three different colleges
and administered a test with 24 statements looking out for their awareness on learning
Phonetics to improve their reading skills. The findings of the study indicated that
prospective teachers were to some extent aware of the importance of Phonetics in
improving their reading and communication skills and portrayed their dire need to
undergo some expert training in Phonetics.