The Effect of Using the Functional Approach on Developing Phonological Awareness in Arabic among Elementary School Girls

The current research aimed to identify the effect of using the functional approach for the Arabic language on developing phonological awareness in fifth-grade elementary school girls. To achieve this, the researcher prepared a list of phonological awareness skills that need to be developed in fifth-grade students, including skills such as (rhythm, manipulation, discrimination, processing meaning, and context). Additionally, a phonological awareness scale was prepared to measure these students' skills. The research used an experimental/control group design with pretest-posttest, where the control group was taught using the conventional method, while the experimental group was taught using the functional approach. The research found a statistically significant difference at the significance level of (0.001) between the mean scores of the experimental group and the control group in the posttest of the phonological awareness scale, favoring the scores of the experimental group. The research recommended the use of the functional approach in teaching the Arabic language, based on its role in developing learners' phonological awareness. It also emphasized the need to develop educational content that meets students' needs and interests, and to provide an educational environment that functionally simulates their daily lives.