Phonological Awareness,Peer Nominations,and Social Competence Among Preschool Children At Risk for Developing Learning Disabilities

This study examined the relations between phonological awareness skills and social-emotional competence among preschool children who were considered at risk for developing learning disabilities. Phonological awareness skills, loneliness, sense of coherence, and peer acceptance of 98 children with an age range from 5.0 to 6.4 years (39 with a high risk for developing learning disabilities and 59 nondisabled peers) were assessed. The children at risk differed significantly from the nondisabled children on all measures. Their scores on the phonological awareness measures were lower, they viewed themselves as more lonely, felt less confident about their world, and they were less accepted by their peers. Subgrouping, using the sense of coherence and the combined phonological measure as criteria, revealed that the largest number of children at risk were in the group with lowest levels of coherence and phonological awareness skills. The smallest proportion of high risk children was found in the group characterised by its high sense of coherence and high level of phonological awareness. Thus, children at risk for developing learning disabilities revealed two groups of deficits: phonological awareness difficulties and social-emotional difficulties. The results emphasised the need to examine interrelations between peer acceptance and both cognitive-phonological awareness and emotional domains.     

Enhancing Phonological Awareness and Letter Knowledge in Preschool Children with Down Syndrome

This study investigated the effectiveness of a phonological awareness intervention for 4‐year‐old children with Down syndrome. Seven children with Down syndrome who attended an early intervention centre participated in the intervention. Their performance on measures of phonological awareness (initial phoneme identity), letter name and sound knowledge, and print concepts pre‐intervention and post‐intervention, was compared with that of a randomly selected group of age‐matched peers with typical development. The intervention involved print referencing techniques whereby the children’s parents were instructed to bring the children’s attention to targeted letters and sounds within words and to draw their attention to the initial phonemes in words during daily shared book reading activities. The intervention was presented for a 6‐week period. The results indicated a significant treatment effect on phonological awareness and letter knowledge for the children with Down syndrome. Additionally, above‐chance performance on the initial phoneme identity task was contingent on letter knowledge of the particular phoneme. Individual profiles of the children with Down syndrome pre‐intervention and post‐intervention are presented, and implications for the management of preschool children approaching the age of integration into mainstream primary schools are discussed.     

Individual Preference for Peer Interaction: Some Data on a Self‐Report Measure for Preschool Children

Seven target children in six different kindergartens who showed low levels of social involvement with peers were compared with 24 children randomly selected from within the same kindergarten settings using a self‐report measure of preference for peer interaction. At pre‐test target children differed from the comparison group in choosing to play with peers in fewer activities and to play alone more often, and in naming fewer friends. At post‐test 14 weeks later, following intervention designed to increase their peer involvement, target children were not significantly different from the comparison group on the self‐report measure.     

Two Alternative Ways to Model the Relation Between Reading Accuracy and Phonological Awareness at Preschool Age

In this study, 91 Finnish-speaking preschoolers (ranging in age from 6.4 to 7.4 years) were tested by using 2 structural equation models. None of the participants had entered school at the time of the study because the age of school entry in Finland is 7 years. The structural equation models were built particularly to examine the connections between children's reading abilities and their phonological skills. The main results of this study show that, in a very transparent language such as Finnish, the model that emphasized sensitivity to the phonological structure of the word as the prerequisite for learning to read fit our data well. The other model, which was likewise theoretically and statistically quite accessible, implied, by contrast, the reciprocity between learning to read and the emergence of phonemic awareness. The results of this study suggest that skills related to reading at preschool age are in many respects the same and have the same relations in a transparent language such as Finnish as they do in English. However, there also seem to be differences, especially in the relations between phonemic awareness skills and reading that may be language specific and require further investigation.     

Developmental Changes in the Relations Between RAN,Phonological Awareness,and Reading in Spanish Children

We examined the developmental relations of phonological awareness (PA) and rapid automatized naming (RAN) with reading in a cross-sectional study with 874 Spanish children from Grades 2 to 6. Our main prediction was that the RAN–reading relationship would decrease due to a gradual change in reading strategy, from serial decoding to sight word reading. Therefore, in contrast to most previous studies, we used discrete reading tasks. Serial RAN tasks for objects, colors, digits, and letters were included. First, we examined whether the RAN tasks loaded on the same constructs across time. An alphanumeric and a nonalphanumeric factor were identified, which were invariant over time. In subsequent multigroup structural equation models we found that the PA–reading relationship was low but slightly increased in the higher grades. As predicted, the RAN–reading relationship decreased for words, whereas the relationship remained stable for pseudowords.     

Phonological Awareness in Literacy Acquisition: It's Not Only for Children

The aim of this study was to determine the cognitive processes of adult literacy acquisition. We assessed the progress of 59 women participating in an intensive adult literacy program that we have developed in Turkey. After only 90 hr of instruction, there were significant improvements in letter and word recognition, phonological awareness, and spelling levels. Word recognition and spelling were predicted by phonological awareness. The results were consistent with studies on children's literacy acquisition, which show the critical nature of phonological awareness in literacy acquisition.     

4～5岁幼儿句法意识的发展

采用句法判断和句法更正任务,本研究探讨了4～5岁幼儿句法意识的发展过程和内在机制。结果表明:(1)4～5岁幼儿的句法意识有显著发展,这主要表现在5岁儿童的句法更正成绩显著高于4岁儿童;(2)句法错误类型影响句法更正成绩,表明他们在不同句法规则的句法意识的发展是不同步的;(3)从4到5岁,个人经验在句法更正中的作用下降,儿童的注意从个人经验和句子意义转向句子的意义和语法规则,揭示了幼儿句法意识逐渐从句子内容转向句子形式的发展趋势。     

4～5岁幼儿句法意识的发展

采用句法判断和句法更正任务，本研究探讨了4～5岁幼儿句法意识的发展过程和内在机制。结果表明：（1）4～5岁幼儿的句法意识有显著发展，这主要表现在5岁儿童的句法更正成绩显著高于4岁儿童；（2）句法错误类型影响句法更正成绩，表明他们在不同句法规则的句法意识的发展是不同步的；（3）从4到5岁，个人经验在句法更正中的作用下降，儿童的注意从个人经验和句子意义转向句子的意义和语法规则，揭示了幼儿句法意识逐渐从句子内容转向句子形式的发展趋势。     

Development of Bilingual Phonological Awareness in Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: The Roles of Vocabulary,Letter Knowledge,and Prior Phonological Awareness

Theories concerning the development of phonological awareness place special emphasis on lexical and orthographic knowledge. Given the large degree of variability in preschool classrooms that house Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELL), this study controlled for classroom effects by removing classroom means and covariances based on 158 children from 40 classrooms. Path analyses of the child-level covariance matrices tested the extent to which vocabulary and letter knowledge in each language predicted growth in English and Spanish phonological awareness of 130 preschool-age, Spanish-speaking ELLs. Results supported cross-linguistic effects of prior phonological awareness and Spanish vocabulary in the development of bilingual phonological awareness. Implications for theory, instruction, and research methods are discussed.     

幼儿的英语语音意识发展特点及内隐学习的研究

本研究以87名4～6岁初学英语的幼儿为被试,探讨初学英语儿童在音节意识、首音韵脚意识和音位意识三方面语音意识的发展特点及这三个方面的内隐学习存在的可能性,并调查了这87名儿童的相关背景资料.结果发现,首音韵脚意识与音位意识的发展早于音节意识的发展,三个方面都随年级的增长而提高,首音韵脚意识和音位意识的测验成绩在学过和未学过的两类材料上均超过了机遇水平且无显著差异,表明内隐学习存在于汉语儿童英语语音意识形成的过程中,并且性别在这三方面并无显著差异.在儿童的背景资料中,儿童讲英语的主动程度这一因素对儿童的语音意识具有显著的影响.     

学龄前儿童生长发育调查分析

为了解和评价学龄前儿童生长发育状况，从湖州市随机抽取11所幼儿园共1426名3～7岁儿童进行调查，研究结果表明：学龄前儿童身高每增长1cm，男、女儿童的体质量分别增长0.304kg、0.380kg；身高增长与体重增长呈非线性关系；BMI、Quetele指数、身高胸围指数与年龄均呈线性关系，并且该三个指数高于我国北方某些农村调查结果，由此可见，湖州市学龄前儿童身高与体重的增长比例严重失调，体质量过大。     

国内外关于聋生语音意识的研究进展

国外对聋生是否具有语音意识及其与阅读、拼写等语言能力的关系进行了一系列的研究,但还无统一结论;而国内在该领域的研究相对较少且很不成熟.作者对近几十年来国内外在该领域的研究进行了回顾、总结与述评,以期对该领域未来的研究有所借鉴.     

Relations Between Children's Invented Spelling and the Development of Phonological Awareness

The objective of this study was to assess the impact on phonological skills of a training program that was intended to lead preschool children to move from prephonetic spellings to early phonemic spellings. The participants were 30 preschool children who were divided into two groups (experimental and control groups) that were equivalent in terms of the children's intelligence, the number of letters with which they were familiar and the nature of their invented spelling. The intervention proved effective, inasmuch as the children in the experimental group moved to early phonemic spellings, whereas those in the control group did not. This conceptual evolution entailed enhanced performance in phonemic classification, segmentation and deletion tests, in which the children in the experimental group displayed a degree of progress which differed significantly from that achieved by the members of the control group.     

Phonological Processing and Word Reading in Typically Developing and Reading Disabled Children: Severity Matters

In this study word reading (WR) fluency was used to dichotomously classify 1,598 Dutch children at different cutoffs, indicating (very) poor or (very) good reading performance. Analysis of variance and receiver operating characteristics were used to investigate the effects of rapid automatized naming (RAN) and phonemic awareness (PA) in predicting group membership. The highest predictive values were found for the combination of RAN and PA, particularly for the poorest readers. Furthermore, results indicate that with the severity of impairment, WR is more dominated by deficient PA, which is interpreted as an enduring problem with sublexical processing. Another main result is that with the increase of reading skill, the contribution of PA diminishes, whereas the contribution of RAN remains fairly constant for the whole reading fluency continuum. These results warrant the conclusion that whereas PA hallmarks reading disability, RAN appears to be the default predictor for above-average or excellent reading proficiency.     

Modeling the Early Paths of Phonological Awareness and Factors Supporting its Development in Children With and Without Familial Risk of Dyslexia

The development of phonological awareness (PA) before school age was modeled in association with the development of vocabulary and letter knowledge, home literacy environment (HLE), children's reading interest, and beginning reading skill in children with and without familial risk of dyslexia. A total of 186 children were followed from birth to the age of 6.5 years. Of these children, about half had a familial background of reading difficulties (the at-risk group), and the other half came from families without such background (the control group). The data from several measures and assessment time points were analyzed within an SEM framework, and a latent analysis of growth curves was employed. Vocabulary and letter knowledge were found to predict PA development, and vice versa, PA predicted them. The effect of HLE on PA was mediated by vocabulary skills, and of the HLE variables, the only variable predicting vocabulary development was shared reading. In spite of the difference in level, favoring the controls, the pattern of effects of vocabulary and letter knowledge on PA development was highly similar in children with and without familial risk for dyslexia. However, in the at-risk group, the HLE variables and children's reading interest had stronger associations with each other and with skill development than in the control group, and vocabulary predicted parental reports on children's reading interest in the at-risk group only.     

Spanish and English Early Literacy Profiles of Preschool Latino English Language Learner Children

Research Findings: The purpose of this study was to examine within-group individual differences in the code-related and oral language abilities of an economically stressed Spanish-speaking English language learner (ELL) preschool sample and to evaluate the predictive relationship of these differences to later listening comprehension. Latent class analysis was used to identify similarities in both the latent and outcome variables to form classes of students with similar profiles on the measured variables. Our 1st finding confirmed the existence of 4 distinct psychometrically validated profiles: (a) Low English Language, Average Spanish Language, Mixed Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 19.4%); (b) Average English Language, Strengths in Spanish Language and Spanish Code-Related (24.2%); (c) Mixed English and Spanish Language, Low Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 34%); and (d) High English Language, Average Spanish Language, Mixed Spanish Code-Related (prevalence 22%). The resulting profiles demonstrated that English and Spanish code- and language-related domains of emergent literacy developed unevenly across the Spanish-speaking ELL preschoolers. Relative strengths and weaknesses in code- and language-related skills were also found to be meaningfully related to end-of-year listening comprehension—a precursor to reading comprehension. Finally, profiles yielded meaningful variability along sociodemographic variables. Practice or Policy: Implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

城市发展与流动儿童学前教育

改革开放30余年来,进城务工人员为中国的经济发展与城市建设作出的贡献举世公认.然而,他们随迁子女的学前教育问题却迟迟未进入公众的视线范围之内.平民教育实践为这些流动儿童提供了最基本的学前教育服务.然而,政府有关部门的认识滞后和管理失当令平民教育处境尴尬.期待在<国务院关于当前发展学前教育的若干意见>(国发[2010]41号)出台的当下,政府能够采取切实有效的举措,以促进平民教育健康发展,满足流动儿童的学前教育需求.     

Assessment of Phonological Awareness: Review of Methods and Tools

The importance of phonological awareness to the acquisition and development of reading skills is well documented. Recent attention to the critical nature of phonological awareness has highlighted the need for appropriate assessment tools. This article reviews the current state of phonological awareness assessment by examining norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and curriculum-based instruments available for practitioners' and researchers' use. Prior to discussing specific assessment types, additional information about phonological awareness is provided, including a definition of phonological awareness, an overview of the relationship of phonological awareness to reading ability, factors influencing what to assess, and an overview of the effectiveness of phonological awareness training. Information about specific assessment instruments include technical adequacy, intended use, and limitations. Implications for practice are presented.