Principle-based phonics instruction for grapheme-phoneme correspondences and long-term spelling retention in Grade 5 EFL classrooms

Abstract This classroom-based mixed-methods study investigated a 16-week, principle-based phonics program that explicitly taught grapheme–phoneme correspondences (GPCs) to Grade 5 Taiwanese EFL learners. Twelve students completed a researcher-developed 50-word dictation at pretest (T1), posttest (T2), and a 15-week delayed test (T3), and provided anonymous written reflections. Nonparametric analyses (Wilcoxon signed-rank; McNemar) showed robust and durable gains: mean dictation accuracy increased from 56.00% at T1 to 78.00% at T2 and 88.83% at T3, and every learner maintained or exceeded posttest performance at delayed testing. Feature-level error tracking revealed significant improvement in six targeted areas, including letter-name vowel mappings for /ɛ/ and /æ/, intervocalic /ɾ/ flapping contexts ( t vs. d ), nasals before stops, consonant clusters, and - tion /- sion → /ʃən/ spellings, with only minor relapse at T3. Reflections indicated greater rule awareness, more rule-guided self-correction, and fewer disruptions during drafting. Instructional implications include spaced micro-retrieval, spiral review, and rule-prompted revision; limitations include a single-group design, a small high-achieving sample, and reuse of the same test form. Lessons followed a consistent cycle of rule explanation, guided decoding, read-alouds, word-sorting, dictation, and short composition tasks that prompted learners to apply newly learned patterns in context. Students reported increased confidence when revising spelling during writing.