‘Parrot phenomenon’ is the name given to one of the more persistent problems with literacy. Many times, a child can sound out or mimic the words on a page but, like a trained bird, is unable to comprehend the meaning of the words and sentences.
In Malaysia, the parrot phenomenon is particularly prevalent among children who are not in a literacy-rich environment and whose socioeconomic background is lower-than-average, including rural school children from a ‘B40’ household, which is in the bottom 40th percentile, earning less than RM4,850 per month (US$1,021). But approaching literacy with the same tools that cause this phenomenon will not contribute to its solution. Instead, new ideas from teaching theory need to be considered.
In Malaysia, barring some exceptions, the phonics approach – associating shapes with sounds — is central to teaching literacy in English and Malay. Currently, Malaysia’s literacy rate stands at 95 percent among 15 years and older, and 77.2 percent among 65 years and older. Regardless of the type of writing system, whether logographic (for example Mandarin) or non-logographic (for example English, Malay), the aim of literacy is for the learner to be able to demonstrate the ability to turn writing symbols into sounds.
