Using mnemonic images and explicit sound contrasting to help Japanese children learn English alphabet sounds

•We addressed challenges in teaching alphabet letter-sounds to Japanese children.•To help with retention, we used mnemonic images linking alphabet letters to Japanese words.•To help the children understand phoneme sounds we used explicit sound contrasting.•Use of these strategies produced better outcomes compared to regular instruction.•Both strategies are uncomplicated to teach and can be used as supplements to standard classroom instruction.

Although mnemonics have been shown to be effective in remembering letter-sound associations, the use of foreign words as cues for English phonemes had not been investigated. Learning phonemes in Japan is challenging because the Japanese language is based on a different sound unit called mora (mostly consonant-vowel combinations). This study investigated the effectiveness of using mnemonic images utilizing Japanese words as cues for the phonemes, and explicit sound contrasting of phonemic sounds with morae they could be confused with, in facilitating children's acquisition of knowledge about alphabet letter-sound correspondence. The participants were 140 6th-grade Japanese students who were taught phoneme-consonant correspondence, with or without the use of mnemonics or explicit sound contrasting. Analysis of the students’ pre- and post-instruction assessments revealed significant interaction effects between types of instruction provided and instruction phase, indicating better performance in letter-sound association as a consequence of the inclusion of both mnemonics and explicit sound contrasting.