Relationships Between Vocabulary Size, Working Memory, and Phonological Awareness in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

Purpose: The goals of this study were to evaluate the impact of short-term phonological awareness (PA) instruction presented in children\u27s first language (L1; Spanish) on gains in their L1 and second language (L2; English) and to determine whether relationships exist between vocabulary size, verbal working memory, and PA in Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs). Method: Participants included 25 kindergartners who received PA instruction and 10 controls. A 2-way within-subjects repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to evaluate gains. Relationships between PA gains, Spanish and English vocabulary, and memory, as measured using nonword repetition and experimental working memory tasks, were analyzed using correlation and regression analyses. Results: Results indicated significant and equivalent gains in both languages of children in the experimental group and no gains in the control group. Spanish vocabulary size was significantly related to PA gains in both languages and was more strongly related to English gains than was English vocabulary size. The memory tasks predicted gains in each language in distinct ways. Conclusion: Results support the conclusion that PA instruction and strong vocabulary skills in an individual\u27s L1 benefit PA development in both the L1 and L2. Results also indicate that dynamic relationships exist between vocabulary size, storage and processing components of working memory, and PA development in both languages of ELLs

Predicting future reading problems based on pre-reading auditory measures: a longitudinal study of children with a familial risk of dyslexia

Purpose: This longitudinal study examines measures of temporal auditory processing in pre-reading children with a family risk of dyslexia. Specifically, it attempts to ascertain whether pre-reading auditory processing, speech perception, and phonological awareness (PA) reliably predict later literacy achievement. Additionally, this study retrospectively examines the presence of pre-reading auditory processing, speech perception, and PA impairments in children later found to be literacy impaired. Method: Forty-four pre-reading children with and without a family risk of dyslexia were assessed at three time points (kindergarten, first, and second grade). Auditory processing measures of rise time (RT) discrimination and frequency modulation (FM) along with speech perception, PA, and various literacy tasks were assessed. Results: Kindergarten RT uniquely contributed to growth in literacy in grades one and two, even after controlling for letter knowledge and PA. Highly significant concurrent and predictive correlations were observed with kindergarten RT significantly predicting first grade PA. Retrospective analysis demonstrated atypical performance in RT and PA at all three time points in children who later developed literacy impairments. Conclusions: Although significant, kindergarten auditory processing contributions to later literacy growth lack the power to be considered as a single-cause predictor; thus results support temporal processing deficits’ contribution within a multiple deficit model of dyslexia

Effective Early Childhood Education Programmes : A Systematic Review

This report systematically reviews research on the outcomes of programmes that teach young children in a group setting before they begin reception. Study inclusion criteria included use of randomised or matched control groups, evidence of initial equality, and study duration of at least 12 weeks. Studies included valid measures of language, literacy, phonological awareness, mathematical, and/or cognitive outcomes that were independent of the experimental treatments. A total of 38 studies evaluating 27 different programmes met these criteria for outcomes assessed at the end of preschool and/or reception/kindergarten. The review concludes that on academic outcomes at the end of preschool and/or reception, 6 early childhood programmes showed strong evidence of effectiveness and 5 had moderate evidence of effectiveness. Of the 27 programmes reviewed, 7 are available for implementation in the UK. A few longitudinal studies have followed their subjects into secondary school, and even adulthood. These studies show that comprehensive programmes focused broadly on cognitive development rather than solely academic skills had better long-term effects on social adjustment outcomes such as reductions in delinquency, welfare dependency, and teenage pregnancy, and increases in educational and employment levels

The effects of an online learning program as a tier II intervention for phonemic awareness development in kindergarten students

Many early elementary students in urban schools are already below grade level in early literacy skills, putting them at risk for reading difficulties later. This study examined the effects of Lexia, a literacy-focused online learning program, as a Tier II intervention for struggling kindergarten learners. In this study, ten students were placed into either the experimental group which used Lexia for twenty minutes a day for eight weeks, or into the control group that was instead exposed to a math-based online learning program. Results showed greater growth among students in the intervention group on all dependent measures as compared to the control group. These results suggest a benefit in employing online learning programs as Tier II additional support for phonemic awareness remediation in young students

Using Technology to Develop Early Phonological Awareness Skills

Differentiated instruction, a necessary practice in inclusive education, allows teachers to meet the needs of all students in a given classroom. The partnership of education and technology provides teachers with an interactive and focused means to present student-specific content. This three week, action research project explores the use of an ACTIVboard and classroom desktop computers to engage and motivate students in a variety of activities targeting phonological awareness skills, specifically syllabication and rhyming. The literature review examines the history of technology in schools, the benefits of using technology in the classroom, notes the relationship between phonological awareness and reading readiness, and discusses the relationship between technology and student achievement. The study was performed in a suburban school district in Western New York and included 37 kindergarten students from two classrooms. A control group of students learning the same content, syllabication and rhyming, without the use of an ACTIVboard, was maintained. Data was gathered with pre and post student assessments; teacher observations were also noted. Conclusions report that students in both classrooms demonstrated an increased understanding of skills taught while the average scores for both the rhyming and syllabication assessments were higher in the targeted “technology” group. Results suggest that the technology-based instruction was more effective in supporting student learning and align with current research on technology integration in the classroom

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationAs computer assisted instruction (CAI) becomes increasingly sophisticated, its appeal as a viable method of literacy intervention with young children continues despite limited evidence of effectiveness. The present study sought to assess the impact of one such CAI program, Imagine Learning English (ILE), on both the receptive vocabulary and early literacy skills of 284 kindergarten students, including English language learners using a 2 x 2 cross-over research design over a period of a full school year. In each semester, students received either the ILE treatment or "other" treatment (integrated core curriculum including science, social studies, art, music, physical education). Specifically, the study sought to answer two questions: (a) How do the literacy skills of kindergarten students, including English language learners and monolingual children, who receive instruction using ILE compare with the literacy skills of kindergarten students who receive "other" classroom instruction; (b) how do the vocabulary skills of the same kindergarten students who receive instruction using ILE compare with the vocabulary skills of those who receive "other" classroom instruction? Results of the t-tests from this within-subjects design showed no treatment differences on outcome measures (PPVT-4 for receptive vocabulary and DIBELS Next for early literacy) between students when they participated in the ILE program and when they participated in "other" classroom activities, regardless of amount of time spent on this CAI program. These same results held true for English language learners for whom the program was originally designed. A strong period effect, however, was detected, with the treatment administered during period 1 (i.e., either ILE or "other" instruction) having a more positive effect on student language and literacy learning than the treatment that was administered during period 2. Possible explanations for this significant period effect are provided as well as cautions for the ongoing use of CAI programs such as ILE in early literacy education. Finally, recommendations for future research are set forth

The Effects of Breakthrough to Literacy on the Phonological Awareness Skills of Students in Early Elementary School

This study researched the effects of Breakthrough to Literacy (1998), a phonological awareness computer-based program, on elementary school students in grades kindergarten through three. The treatment group received the Breakthrough to Literacy program in kindergarten. The control group received the traditional curriculum without this program. The students were assessed on phonological awareness skills at the end of kindergarten, the fall and spring of grade one and grade two. Their reading comprehension skills were also assessed at the end of grade 3. Results indicate that Breakthrough to Literacy improved the phonological awareness skills of students who received the program in grades kindergarten and one. These improvements were no longer evident in grade two and there was no difference between the groups on the delayed measure of reading comprehension. The data suggest that Breakthrough to Literacy is an effective intervention to initially improve phonological awareness skills, but is not sufficient to provide longitudinal improvements and is not linked to an improvement in reading comprehension

The effects of visual representations on teacher training of phonological awareness principles

Teachers are now being held to high accountability standards in reading instruction, yet studies show that teachers lack adequate knowledge in reading and phonological awareness principles (Moats, 1994, 2009; Spencer, Schuele, Guillot, & Lee, 2008). The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of visual representations of letter/sound production (i.e., Phonic Faces, Norris, 2001) on improving teacher knowledge of phonological awareness principles, and to determine if there is a concomitant improvement in phonological awareness and reading acquisition for children in those classrooms. Seventeen kindergarten teachers from a Mississippi school were pretested on phonological awareness principles, then divided into three groups: Phonic Faces Training (PFT), with visual strategies; Traditional Training (TT), with no visual strategies; and a No Training (NT) control group. The PFT and TT groups participated in one half-day training in phonological awareness principles. All groups were posttested immediately after training, and again 3 months later at the end of the school year. Gains in phonological awareness knowledge from pretest to posttest and delayed posttest were analyzed. School records of data from the January and April administrations of subtests from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (Good & Kaminski, 2002) were compared for relative student gains. The results of this study revealed that all three groups made gains from pretest to posttest, and there were no significant differences between groups who were trained and the NT control group. In student performance, there was a significant difference in gain in Nonsense Word Fluency favoring the PFT group over the TT group and NT. The NT group did not differ from either of the inservice groups on gains in Nonsense Word Fluency. The NT teachers’ students gained the most in Letter Naming Fluency