Letter knowledge training and its influence on phoneme awareness and early reading development (a training study of Czech preschool children)
Abstract
Purpose: This was a 7-week intervention study aimed at training phoneme awareness (PA) and letter knowledge (LK) to preliterate children (4,5-5 years) to elucidate the interactive relationship between PA and LK and their possible impacts on early reading. In line with the theory of a reciprocally beneficial relationship between PA and LK, we predicted that additionally to the benefits at the level of each trained skill, the LK group would show impact to the growth of PA, and the PA group would also demonstrate impact to the faster learning of LK.
Method: 192 Czech preschool children were randomly assigned to: PA or LK training, or an untreated control group. All groups were pre-tested on PA, LK, reading measures and nonverbal IQ, then tested after the end of training (post-test) and at an 8 month follow-up (delayed post-test).
Cohen's d was used to describe effects of training within groups, ANCOVA analyses were used to assess differences between groups in post-test phases. Results: In the post-test phase, the LK group demonstrated middle-strong growth of both PA and LK while the PA trained group showed effects limited to PA only.
In the delayed post-test, the LK group maintained middle effects in LK measures and showed strong effects in reading while the PA group maintained effects in PA but showed also strong effects in LK. The LK group differed significantly from both other groups in LK measures in both post-test times.
Conclusions: Only LK training seems to immediately boost both LK and PA growth and gradually also helps early reading emergence. PA training has an immediate effect on PA and a delayed effect on LK.