The effect of the adventure of words board game on phonological awareness skills of preschool children

This study aims to examine the effect of the Adventure of Words board game on the phonological awareness skills of preschool children aged 60 to 72 months. The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design. The study group consisted of 16 children in the experimental group and 15 children in the control group, aged 60 to 72 months, from an independent preschool. The General Information Form, Early Literacy Skills Assessment Tool (ELSAT), Early Literacy Information Test (ELIT), and Early Literacy Home Environment Scale (ELHES) were used for data collection. The board game, developed for the study, was implemented with the experimental group in 30-minute sessions, three times a week for six weeks. Both groups completed pretest and posttest measures, and the data were analyzed using dependent and independent t-tests. While no significant difference was observed between the groups in pretest scores, posttest results revealed a statistically significant difference in the experimental group. In particular, substantial progress was observed in sub-dimensions such as matching words beginning with the same sound and recognizing initial phonemes (e.g., identifying the initial sound, producing a word beginning with a stimulus sound, and generating a word with the same initial sound). However, no significant change was found in rhyming, syllable/sound omission, or blending sub-dimensions. In conclusion, the Adventure of Words board game appears to be effective in enhancing phonemic awareness, a key component of phonological awareness, among preschool children.