The effects of early phonological awareness training on reading success

Knowing letter names and learning letter sounds: A causal connection

“…The available Hebrewlanguage data (Levin et al, 2002;Shatil & Share, 2003) suggest that general levels of Hebrew letter-name knowledge among Israeli kindergarten children are similar to Wndings obtained with English-speaking samples at the same age (e.g., Share et al, 1984;Treiman et al, 1998). Other data, such as phonemic awareness training, point to important parallels between beginning reading in Hebrew and in English (Bentin & Leshem, 1993;Kozminsky & Kozminsky, 1995). As in North America, the overwhelming majority of Israeli kindergarten children are nonreaders, with formal reading instruction commencing in Grade 1 when children are age 6.…”

Syllable splitting in literate and preliterate Hebrew speakers: Onsets and rimes or bodies and codas?

“…These data accord with earlier conclusions reached in Hebrew-language studies of preschool writing (Shatil et al, 2000) and word identification (Share & Gur, 1999), namely, that a majority of kindergartners are unable to isolate phonemes prior to beginning formal instruction in Grade 1, a conclusion reached over three decades ago in the English-language literature (Liberman et al, 1974). In recognition of this fact, many phonological awareness training programs introduce larger and simpler units of sound in addition to phonemes (Adams, Foorman, Lundberg, & Beeler, 1998;Kozminsky & Kozminsky, 1995). Training usually begins with larger units, such as syllables and rhymes, that young children find easier to appreciate before proceeding to smaller units, such as phonemes (e.g., Adams et al, 1998;Hatcher, Hulme, & Ellis, 1994;Lundberg, Frost, & Peterson, 1988;Torgesen, Morgan, & Davis, 1992).…”

The effects of computer software for developing phonological awareness in low‐progress readers

“…It is not surprising, then, that an extensive research base shows that phonological awareness can be taught (Torgesen, Morgan, & Davis, 1992), and that phonological awareness, word recognition, and spelling skills improve as a result of intervention (Byrne & Fielding-Bamsley, 1995;Layton, Deeny, Tall, & Upton, 1996;Schneider et al, 1999). For example, Kozminsky and Kozminsky (1995) reported that kindergarten children who received direct phonological awareness instruction had greater awareness than a no-training control group at the end of the kindergarten year, and significantly higher reading achievement in first and third grades. Similar results were observed by Byrne and Fielding-Bamsley (1995), and Lundberg et al (1988), suggesting that phonological awareness instruction has a positive effect on subsequent reading performance.…”