A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF TEACHERS’ AND PARENTS’ NEEDS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STORYBOOKS TO PROMOTE FINAL CONSONANT CLUSTER LEARNING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

Abstract

The research titled “A Preliminary Study of Teachers’ and Parents’ Needs for the Development of Storybooks to Promote Final Consonant Cluster Learning in Early Childhood” aimed to investigate three main objectives to study the needs of early childhood teachers in developing storybooks to promote the learning of final consonant clusters among kindergarten children, examine the needs of parents in developing storybooks to support their children’s learning of final consonant clusters, and to analyze recommendations and guidelines for developing storybooks appropriate for early childhood from the perspectives of both teachers and parents. This study employed a qualitative research design, with participants consisting of kindergarten level 3 teachers and parents of children at the same level from Wat Pakwang School, Songkhla Province. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and open-ended questionnaires. The findings revealed that both teachers and parents expressed a strong need for children to learn final consonant clusters through the use of storybooks as a learning medium. It was suggested that storybooks should have short and concise content, use repetitive words that reflect final consonant clusters to facilitate memorization, and include clear, attractive, and engaging illustrations. The language used should be simple and age-appropriate to promote correct understanding. Additionally, participants suggested that storybooks in electronic formats (E-books) featuring narration, pronunciation emphasis on final consonant clusters, and supplementary activities such as word-matching games or short exercises would further enhance children’s learning experiences. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of designing learning materials that align with the developmental stages and contexts of early childhood learners. Such design not only fosters effective and sustainable reading skills in final consonant clusters but also provides valuable guidelines for developing storybooks that meet the needs of both teachers and parents, thereby contributing to the improvement of children’s language abilities and foundational learning skills.