Lexical characteristics of words and phonological awareness skills of preschool children

ABSTRACTThe lexical restructuring model (LRM; Metsala & Walley, 1998) can be used to explain the development of phonological awareness (PA). According to LRM, as children's vocabularies increase, children develop a more refined lexical representation of the sounds comprising those words, and in turn children become more sensitive to the detection of specific phonemes. LRM identifies several lexical characteristics of words that influence lexical restructuring: age of acquisition (AoA), word frequency, neighborhood density, and phonotactic probability. In this study, the effects of these lexical characteristics on children's performance on PA tasks were evaluated, as well as moderation of these effects by children's oral language skills and ages, in two independent samples of preschool children who completed measures of PA and oral language. For both samples, AoA and word frequency were negatively related to PA skills, and phonotactic probability was positively related to PA skills. Children's ages and oral language skills were positive predictors of PA skills, and children's ages moderated the relations between AoA and PA skills for children in Sample 2. Children's oral language skills moderated the relations between AoA and PA skills for children in Sample 1. Implications are discussed.

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Enhancing Phonological Awareness, Print Awareness, and Oral Language Skills in Preschool Children

Intervention in School and Clinic ◽

10.1177/10534512030390020401 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 39 (2) ◽

pp. 87-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 73

Author(s):

Paige C. Pullen ◽

Laura M. Justice

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Phonological Awareness ◽

Oral Language ◽

Language Skills ◽

Print Awareness ◽

Oral Language Skills

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Fostering Preschoolers' Emergent Literacy: Recommendations for Enhanced Literacy Experiences and Collaborative Instruction

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/pers-sig16-2018-0012 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 167-176 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Clariebelle Gabas ◽

Leesa Marante ◽

Sonia Q. Cabell

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Emergent Literacy ◽

Oral Language ◽

Literacy Instruction ◽

Language Skills ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

Book Reading ◽

Shared Book Reading ◽

Emergent Literacy Skills ◽

Oral Language Skills

Purpose Emergent literacy skills involve both the code-related and oral language skills that serve as the foundation for successful reading and writing development. Code-related skills have been found to be highly predictive of decoding skills for preschool children and continue to exert a strong influence through the early elementary grades. Likewise, early oral language skills make important contributions to later reading comprehension. Accordingly, the preschool period is a critical time for supporting and facilitating growth in children's emergent literacy skills. Speech-language pathologists working in preschool settings can play an integral role in enhancing literacy instruction through their specialized knowledge of linguistic concepts and language development. The following article aims to provide practitioners with evidence-based strategies for supporting the development of preschoolers' emergent literacy skills in the context of shared book reading and making experience books. The article also outlines recommendations for fostering effective collaborations with teachers to provide high-quality classroom experiences for all preschool children. Conclusion Providing preschool children with a print-rich environment along with clear and explicit explanations, scaffolding, and ample opportunities for practice can help to enhance the quality of language and literacy instruction. Although this article specifically focuses on shared book reading and making experience books, it is important to note that the strategies discussed here apply to a variety of activities. Speech-language pathologists are encouraged to actively collaborate with teachers to integrate these strategies into various classroom activities to optimize learning and promote children's emergent literacy skills.

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Effects of automated Tier 2 storybook intervention on vocabulary and comprehension learning in preschool children with limited oral language skills

Early Childhood Research Quarterly ◽

10.1016/j.ecresq.2014.12.004 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 47-61 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Elizabeth Spencer Kelley ◽

Howard Goldstein ◽

Trina D. Spencer ◽

Amber Sherman

Keyword(s):

Preschool Children ◽

Oral Language ◽

Language Skills ◽

Tier 2 ◽

Oral Language Skills

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Manipulating word properties: Targeting vocabulary learning for children with and without speech sound inaccuracies

Child Language Teaching and Therapy ◽

10.1177/0265659011432015 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

pp. 101-121

Author(s):

Kimberly D McDowell ◽

Jeri Carroll

Keyword(s):

Phonological Awareness ◽

Word Learning ◽

Oral Language ◽

Speech Sound ◽

Absolute Number ◽

Neighborhood Density ◽

Vocabulary Knowledge ◽

Word Knowledge ◽

Expressive Vocabulary ◽

Phonotactic Probability

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to examine the relations between speech sound accuracy, vocabulary, and phonological awareness, and (2) to examine the effect of word properties of neighborhood density and phonotactic probability on word learning within a storybook context, for children with and without speech sound inaccuracies. Fifty K–1 children (aged 5–6 years; 25 with, 25 without speech sound inaccuracies) completed inclusionary measures of oral language, speech sound accuracy, hearing screening, oral–motor screening, and nonverbal intelligence. Participants completed study-specific measures of standardized receptive and expressive vocabulary, stimuli-specific vocabulary knowledge, and phonological awareness. Twice weekly, for 30 minutes, an 11-week storybook-based intervention took place, targeting word learning, with words selected based on density and probability. Storybooks were researcher generated to intentionally manipulate the word properties of the stimuli words. Each storybook contained two stimuli words, four exposures per word per reading. Results indicated that both speech sound accuracy and vocabulary predicted unique variance in phonological awareness in children with speech sound inaccuracies. No statistically significant differences in the absolute number of words children learned emerged. Group differences were noted in emerging word knowledge with typically developing children outperforming children with speech sound inaccuracies. Differences were noted in the types of words that children learned. Results suggest that children with speech sound inaccuracies may be at risk for later reading difficulties. Speech language pathologists need to be targeting words that promote change within a child’s phonological system (sublexical) and his/her lexical system.

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