The Influences of Syllable Structure and Reading Ability on the Development of Phoneme Awareness - Coursework Example

?The Influences of Syllable Structure and Reading Ability on the Development of Phoneme Awareness: A Longitudinal, Cross-Linguistic Study. Marketa Caravolas and Karin Landerl. Summary In this article Caravolas and Landerl tackle the question of exactly how phoneme awareness affects the very early stages of reading ability in children at the pre-reading stage and in Grade 1 of formal schooling. After reviewing the recent literature on the topic, which stresses the link between alphabetic instruction and phoneme awareness, the authors pose the question whether the structure of the phonological system of the learner’ native language plays a role in the way students develop phoneme awareness. In order to address this question they conducted a cross-linguistic empirical study comparing children who spoke Czech and Austrian German. These languages were chosen because Czech language has a large variety and frequency of onset syllables while German has a large variety and frequency of codas. English which has relatively few of either, was used as a benchmark language. The focus here is on phonemes, and not syllables as such. A second aim was to determine whether the native language structure would influence children before reading instruction, since this would be an argument supporting the hypothesis that language structure, as well as reading instruction, influence phoneme awareness. The method involved 45 Czech children and 33 German children who were all taught by phonic methods. All children were tested twice on a range of abilities, including letter knowledge, single word recognition, IQ and phoneme awareness. The results ruled out extraneous variables, and confirmed the hypothesis that language structure affects phoneme awareness. The authors noted that there may be complicating factors in this result, namely specific morphological features such as the affixation of prepositions to onsets (in Czech) and verb inflections of Codas (in German) but they did not examine this question. The second hypothesis, that phoneme awareness was present even before reading instruction was given, was also substantiated. Relation to Current Readings This is an interesting article because it questions some long-held beliefs about reading instruction. In particular it suggests that children have an inherent ability to distinguish phonemes before they even properly know the letters of the alphabet. This has quite significant theoretical implications in relation to language acquisition, suggesting that a natural language process is what guides children, rather than an instructor mediated process. Questions One question which I would like to explore further is the fact that so many linguistic studies involve researchers who either speak English or study English. This language dominates the theory and the fieldwork in reading acquisition, and the article by Caravolas and Landers (2010) suggests that more cross-linguistic fieldwork might produce results that are different from fieldwork using English. Even in this study, English was used as a benchmark. Insights from the experience of learners and teachers in other languages may well reveal new insights about the first language acquisition process, and also phoneme awareness, both of which are crucial elements for learning to read. This could be a fascinating area for new research. References Caravolas, M. and Landerl, K. (2010) The Influences of Syllable Structure and Reading Ability on the Development of Phoneme Awareness: A Longitudinal, Cross-Linguistic Study. Scientific Studies of Reading 14 (5), 464-484. A Developmental Continuum of Phonological Sensitivity Skills. Lisa A. Pufpaff. Summary This study by Lisa Pufpaff takes the form of a literature review. It is a meta-analysis of previous work and its main focus is to synthesize views from scholars over the past 30 years on the acquisition of phonological sensitivity. The term is carefully defined as a continuum rather than an absolute achievement and a distinction is made between terms that have previously been used interchangeably with phonological sensitivity such as phonological awareness, phonemic awareness. Problems with inaccurate terminology and the use of methods which actually illustrate syllable or morpheme use rather than phonemes are highlighted. The paper reviews the on-going debate in the literature about how exactly phonological sensitivity is related to reading abilities. Some scholars think there is a causal link, while others suggest it is simply correlational, and still others think there is a reciprocal relationship. Longitudinal studies feature prominently because they show a development in phonological sensitivity over time, and this is the main interest of the author. A helpful matrix of studies reviewing different task types and difficulty levels is provided (Pufpaff, 2009, pp. 682-684). Pufpaff concludes that there is consensus in the literature on the way that phonological sensitivity progresses in children, according to a particular sequence but that its relationship with reading is still a matter of debate. Practical implications of this study are mentioned, such as the need for stimulus questions to be carefully designed, and the need for researchers to develop a consistent terminology in this area. The combined outcome of the research indicates that also educators should start with word level skills and move on to syllable level and then phoneme- level. Relation to Current Readings This article is a very good explanation why so much contradictory evidence is found in all of the recent literature on phonological sensitivity and related topics. The main difficulty seems to lie in a tendency for researchers to use terminology in different ways. The matrix table reminds me to be extra vigilant in doing literature reviews, since very often articles that have similar titles use different methods, or deal with different variables, so that their conclusions are in the end not very comparable. This article uses the term phonological sensitivity, for example, while Caravolas and Landerl (2010) use the term phoneme awareness. These terms imply differences in the development stage of the child, and considerable differences in the area of linguistics that is being addressed. Questions It is interesting that the findings partly corroborate the study by Caravolas and Landerl (2010) in so far as they find that children manipulate initial sounds before final sounds, though the author leaves open the question of whether this can be explained by phoneme or morpheme understanding on the part of the child. The overlap between these two areas is very difficult to disentangle, and I would like to find out if there are research methods which can address this particular point. References Pufpaff, L. (2009) A Developmental Continuum of Phonological Sensitivity Skills. Psychology in the Schools 46 (7), 679-691. Caravolas, M. and Landerl, K. (2010) The Influences of Syllable Structure and Reading Ability on the Development of Phoneme Awareness: A Longitudinal, Cross-Linguistic Study. Scientific Studies of Reading 14 (5), 464-484. Listening Comprehension Leads to Reading Success. Catherine Trinkle. Summary This paper by Catherine Trinkle approaches the topic of reading from the point of view of the library media professional. The main point of the article is to highlight how exposure to storytelling in the context of the library aids in reading acquisition. The author points out that the library professional’s role is not the same as the professional teaching role, but it nevertheless has something important to when it comes to the acquisition of learning skills in young children. The author also mentions the contribution that library specialists can make to the development of practising teachers, although it does not specify exactly what it is that would be contained in any training or development activities offered to teachers. The author quotes a few main articles on phonics and on vocabulary acquisition and refers on policy documents from institutions such as the National Institute for Literacy. This is not, however, a proper review of the literature, or an examination of the range of theories available on reading skills acquisition. The article gives the impression that these matters are settled, and consensus has been achieved, while the academic literature reveals that some areas still need to be researched further. A good range of further references is provided, however, and a useful fifteen point list of strategies is provided, which educators can use to encourage listening skills in students. Relationship to Current Readings This paper is a good reminder of how to put some of the findings of theoretical work into practice in schools. It summarizes the goals of key national documentation, and illustrates some contexts in which reading aloud to children, including older children, can have beneficial effects. Some of the evidence is anecdotal, as for example the illustration of fictional film character Forrest Gump reading to his young son (Trinkle, 2008, p. 43) and the generalized observation that everyone can learn from him is hardly evidence of academic research. Trinkle’s article is of less value than most of the other readings available on this topic because it simplifies complex issues in order to focus on practical advice for teachers. One good point about the article, however, is that it reminds researchers of issues like social class, and the consequences of low income or social deprivation on learning skills. Some research takes little or no account of these variables, and yet such differences are of vital importance in the speed and level of acquisition in children. Questions This article highlights an important issue in the field of reading acquisition which is the way that different professionals in the field view the linguistic and pedagogical theories surrounding reading skills. In particular there is a clear focus in this author’s mind on vocabulary acquisition, and this is not very clearly distinguished from phonemic awareness. The author wraps up all sorts of objectives in her approach to storytelling. This made me think that perhaps there is more research that could be done into the phonemic awareness of older children. Vocabulary acquisition seems to overtake phonemic awareness after basic reading skills are acquired, and yet differences in older children’s reading may well be related more to the phonemes than to vocabulary. The question of class and income variables is also an interesting one, and I would like to back now and re-read some of the class readings to see if this is covered in their methods and results. References Put Reading First: The Research Building Blocks for Teaching Children to Read. (2001) The National Institute for Literacy. Retrieved 03.06.2012 from http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/PRFbooklet.pdf Trinkle, C. (2008) Listening Comprehension Leads to Reading Success. School Library Media Activities Monthly 24 (6), 43-45. Read More