The Use of Audio Flashcard Educational Media to Support Early Literacy Development Through an Animal Recognition Theme
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21107/njcr.v3i3.49Keywords:
Audio Flashcards, Early Literacy Development, Animal Recognition, Multisensory Learning, Early childhood educationAbstract
Background of the study: Early literacy development in early childhood requires learning media that can engage children through multisensory experiences. Conventional flashcards primarily provide visual and printed information, whereas integrating audio may provide additional support for children's recognition, pronunciation, and understanding of letters and words.
Aims and scope of paper: This study examined whether participation in audio flashcard activities was associated with improvements in early literacy-related performance among children aged 4–5 years using an animal-recognition theme. The study specifically focused on children's abilities to imitate animal sounds, write letters contained in animal names, and pronounce letters in animal names.
Methods: The study used a quantitative, one-group pretest–posttest design. The participants were 30 children aged 4–5 years in Group A at TK Ya Bunaiya, Cerme, Gresik, Indonesia. Data were collected through performance-based assessment sheets, pretest and posttest learning sheets, and documentation. Differences between pretest and posttest scores were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results: The findings indicated improvements across all three assessed outcomes. Mean scores increased from 9.17 to 12.93 for animal-sound imitation (Test I), from 24.10 to 35.57 for letter writing in animal names (Test II), and from 22.67 to 34.87 for letter pronunciation in animal names (Test III). The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed statistically significant pretest–posttest differences for all three tests (p < .001), with large within-group effect sizes (r = .80–.88).
Contribution: This study provides preliminary empirical evidence that audio-integrated flashcards can serve as a multisensory educational medium to support early literacy learning in early childhood. The findings also highlight the potential of combining visual, print, and auditory stimuli within a thematic learning context to facilitate children's early literacy and language-related skills.
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