Deajeng A'ida Mustafa (1), Dr. Vidya Mandarani, SS. M.Hum (2)
General Background: Foundational literacy skills, particularly alphabet writing and spelling, are essential for early English language acquisition and require instructional approaches that address diverse learning styles. Specific Background: Alphabetic flash card media, as a visual and kinesthetic learning tool, facilitates letter recognition, phonemic awareness, and memory retention through interactive engagement. Knowledge Gap: Despite its simplicity and theoretical support from multisensory learning principles, flash card media remains underutilized in formal classrooms dominated by conventional teaching methods. Aims: This study investigates the use of alphabetic flash cards to develop learners’ ability to write and spell English alphabetically. Results: Findings indicate that students taught using flash cards demonstrated higher spelling accuracy and greater writing fluency than those receiving traditional instruction. Novelty: The study highlights the practical value of a low-cost, multisensory instructional medium that simultaneously supports visual, kinesthetic, and cognitive processing in beginner English learners. Implications: Integrating alphabetic flash cards into early literacy instruction can strengthen foundational English skills and increase student participation, suggesting their suitability for beginner EFL contexts and future adaptation into digital learning platforms.Highlights:
Learners using card-based activities produced more correct letter sequences than peers in conventional classes.
Interactive visual-kinesthetic tasks supported stronger phoneme–grapheme connections during basic literacy practice.
Classroom participation increased when multisensory materials replaced lecture-centered instruction.
Alphabetic Flash Cards; Alphabet Writing; Spelling Accuracy; Early Literacy; English Learning
Literacy is a core component in English language acquisition. For early learners, mastering how to write and spell alphabetically is critical in building a strong foundation for further language learning. [1] According to Alqahtani (2015), spelling and writing skills improve significantly when supported by engaging, repetitive, and multisensory media. Alphabetic Flash Card Media combines visual and kinesthetic learning, allowing learners to physically and visually interact with letters and words. [7] Despite its simplicity, flash card media remains underutilized in formal classroom settings, where traditional chalkboard or verbal-only methods dominate. Therefore, this study investigates the role of alphabetic flash cards in enhancing alphabet writing and spelling accuracy among English learners.
Alphabetic flash cards are instructional tools that display individual letters or simple words, often accompanied by pictures or phonetic guides. [4] Based on Dual Coding Theory (Paivio, 1986), combining visual symbols with written language strengthens cognitive associations and enhances memorization.
1. Each card contains a single letter or word (e.g., B – "Ball", C – "Cat") with pictures.
2. Include uppercase and lowercase letter forms
3. [6] Add phonetic symbols and syllable breakdowns for pronunciation and spelling support.
4. [7] Cards should be laminated and color-coded based on difficulty level.
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
1. Alphabet Tracing – Students trace letters on card templates.2. [5] Spelling Challenge – Arrange flash cards to spell words based on dictated sounds.3. [7] Matching Game – Match words with objects/images.4. Writing Drill – Students copy letters or words after card exposure.5. [2] [3] Peer Quizzes – Pairs use flash cards to test each other’s spelling.
[1] [6] The use of Alphabetic Flash Card Media is proven to be effective in enhancing students’ alphabet writing and spelling abilities. [4] [8] The interactive nature of flash cards encourages student participation, memory retention, and phoneme-grapheme correspondence. Teachers are advised to integrate this media into early literacy lessons, especially for beginner EFL students. [9] [10] Future research can explore digital flash card platforms to further expand learning engagement.
[1] M. Alqahtani, “The Importance of Vocabulary in Language Learning and How to Be Taught,” International Journal of Teaching and Education, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 21–34, 2015.
[2] R. L. Oxford, “Language Learning Styles and Strategies: An Overview,” 2003.
[3] A. R. Behbahani, “Vocabulary Learning Strategies: What Language Teachers Must Help Students to Learn,” TESOL Newsletter, University of Jyvaskyla, 2015.
[4] A. Paivio, Mental Representations: A Dual Coding Approach. Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1986.
[5] P. Nation and S. Webb, “Researching and Analyzing Vocabulary,” Language Teaching Research, 2011.
[6] D. N. Asyiah, “The Vocabulary Teaching and Vocabulary Learning: Perception, Strategies, and Influences on Students’ Vocabulary Mastery,” Lingua Scientia, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 293–318, 2017.
[7] Y. D. Puspitarini and M. Hanif, “Using Learning Media to Increase Learning Motivation in Elementary School,” International Journal of Scientific and Technology Research, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 190–193, 2019.
[8] R. Gairns and S. Redman, Working with Words: A Guide to Teaching and Learning Vocabulary. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
[9] A. U. Chamot, “Language Learning Strategy Instruction: Current Issues and Research,” Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, vol. 25, pp. 112–130, 2005.
[10] F. M. Al-Khasawneh, “Vocabulary Learning Strategies: A Case of Jordan University of Science and Technology,” English for Specific Purposes World, vol. 12, no. 34, 2012.