scholarly journals Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Development of an Early Literacy App in Dhuwaya

Languages ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 106
Author(s):  
Gillian Wigglesworth ◽  
Melanie Wilkinson ◽  
Yalmay Yunupingu ◽  
Robyn Beecham ◽  
Jake Stockley
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
First Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Intercultural Development ◽  
Educational Challenges ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Surrounding Areas ◽  
Bilingual School ◽  
The Impact

Phonological awareness is a skill which is crucial in learning to read. In this paper, we report on the challenges encountered while developing a digital application (app) for teaching phonological awareness and early literacy skills in Dhuwaya. Dhuwaya is a Yolŋu language variety spoken in Yirrkala and surrounding areas in East Arnhem Land. Dhuwaya is the first language of the children who attend a bilingual school in which Dhuwaya and English are the languages of instruction. Dhuwaya and English have different phonemic inventories and different alphabets. The Dhuwaya alphabet is based on Roman alphabet symbols and has 31 graphemes (compared to 26 in English). The app was designed to teach children how to segment and blend syllables and phonemes and to identify common words as well as suffixes used in the language. However, the development was not straightforward, and the impact of the linguistic, cultural and educational challenges could not have been predicted. Amongst these was the inherent variation in the language, including glottal stops, the pronunciation of stops, the focus on syllables as a decoding strategy for literacy development and challenges of finding one-syllable words such as those initially used with English-speaking children. Another challenge was identifying culturally appropriate images which the children could relate to and which were not copyrighted. In this paper, we discuss these plus a range of other issues that emerged, identifying how these problems were addressed and resolved by the interdisciplinary and intercultural team.

The impact of language on the relationships between phonological awareness and word reading in different orthographies: A test of the psycholinguistic grain size theory in bilinguals

2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (5) ◽  
pp. 1083-1115 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALEXANDRA GOTTARDO ◽  
ADRIAN PASQUARELLA ◽  
XI CHEN ◽  
GLORIA RAMIREZ
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Reading Skills ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
First Language ◽  
Phonological Sensitivity ◽  
English Reading ◽  
Syllable Onset ◽  
Different Orthographies ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACTThe relationships among first language (L1) and second language (L2) phonological awareness and reading skills were examined in English L2 learners with a variety of L1s, specifically Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese (maximum N = 252). Longitudinal and concurrent relations between word reading and subcomponents of phonological awareness (i.e., syllable, onset-rime, phoneme, and, where applicable, tone awareness) were examined in kindergarten and first and second grades. The relationships between reading and specific subcomponents of phonological awareness were associated with the orthography being read, English or the L1. Phonological awareness subcomponents related to English reading were generally similar for the three English L2 groups, despite differences in the orthographies of learners’ native language. The findings support the psycholinguistic grain size theory with regard to links between phonological sensitivity and the sound–symbol correspondences used to read the specific languages.

scholarly journals English as Lingua Franca and First Language Comfort Zones at an Internationalized University in Warsaw

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 45-65
Author(s):  
Lucyna Aleksandrowicz-Pędich
Keyword(s):  
International Students ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Lingua Franca ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
Student Community ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
English As Lingua Franca ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study has been to analyse the use of English as lingua franca at an internationalised university in a non-English speaking country, the challenges caused by the need to use English for academic and social purposes as well as the use of other languages by a multicultural student community. Methodology: The methodology was based on qualitative research and involved open-ended interviews with students of 14 nationalities as well as staff members, both local (Polish) and from English-speaking countries. Findings: The main findings indicate: a degree of mismatch between the self-perception of English language competence and the actual ability to use it; the key function of language for social bonding; frequent recourse to first language comfort zones rather than the use of the lingua franca. Value Added: The research focuses on English language issues in a non-English speaking country, an understudied area in higher education. It draws attention to the use of Russian as a secondary lingua franca among students for whom it is their other language of fluent communication. Recommendations: University level educators should be more aware of the specificity of the problems in the use of English by international students, including such as underestimated listening comprehension issues, tensions connected with the use of polite forms and the mismatch between communication skills in English and the academic needs. The impact of language identity on international students social networking should be taken into account as well.

scholarly journals The impact of Home Languange and Home Resources on Reading Achievement in ten-years-olds in Norway, PIRLS 2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Olaug Strand ◽  
Knut Schwippert
Keyword(s):  
Reading Achievement ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
First Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Home Language ◽  
Fifth Grade ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Additional Support ◽  
The Impact

The aim of the current study was to examine the associations between a child’s home language, home resources for learning to read and reading achievement. Whereas the role of a child’s first language in second language learning and literacy skills has shown contradictory results, there is an established body of empirical evidence documenting the relationship between home resources and academic achievement. The study was conducted to extend existing knowledge on the relative contribution of home language and home resources on reading achievement. Using data from the Norwegian participation in Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016, fifth grade, mean age 10.8 years (n = 4232), regression analysis reveals, overall, that home resources is more strongly related to reading achievement than a child’s home language. In the search for extended knowledge about the complex mechanisms behind achievement differences, we argue that several factors in addition to home language need to be considered, so that any initiative that is identified as effective to compensate for diversity will be beneficial for all students who need additional support in their reading development.

scholarly journals Avaliação da linguagem oral e escrita no pré-escolar e nos primeiros anos de escolaridade

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-53
Author(s):  
Joana Batalha ◽  
Maria Lobo ◽  
Antónia Estrela ◽  
Bruna Bragança
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
Writing Skills ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Early Years ◽  
Second Grade ◽  
Syntactic Awareness ◽  
Reading And Writing

In this article, we present an assessment instrument aimed at diagnosing oral language and reading and writing skills in children attending pre-school (5 years) and the early years of primary school. The instrument was mainly designed for the school context, and it was developed in collaboration with kindergarten educators and primary teachers who participated in PIPALE - Preventive Intervention Project for Reading and Writing, a project which is integrated in the National Program for the Promotion of School Success. The instrument covers the assessment of phonological and syntactic awareness, comprehension of syntactic structures, early literacy, and reading and writing skills (word reading, word and sentence writing, text comprehension, and text production). Besides offering a detailed description of the structure and tasks of the instrument, the present study includes the results of the first implementation of this tool to a total of 495 students in pre-school, first grade and second grade. The results show significant differences between the three groups (pre-school, first grade and second grade) in phonological awareness (identification of initial syllable, initial phoneme and final rhyme) and between the younger groups and the second graders in syntactic awareness (acceptability judgement task) and early literacy skills. As for reading and writing skills, the results show better performance in reading tasks than in writing tasks, a strong significant correlation between phonological awareness and word reading and word writing, and between literacy skills and word reading and writing. We also found a milder correlation between syntactic awareness and reading comprehension, as well as text writing. These results suggest that the instrument is effective for an early diagnosis and early intervention of reading and writing skills.

Effect of music instruction on phonological awareness and early literacy skills of five- to seven-year-old children

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Renata Eccles ◽  
Jeannie van der Linde ◽  
Mia le Roux ◽  
Jenny Holloway ◽  
Douglas MacCutcheon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Music Instruction ◽  
Early Literacy Skills

Literacy predictors and early reading and spelling skills as a factor of orthography

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 52-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Zaretsky ◽  
Jelena Kuvac Kraljevic ◽  
Cynthia Core ◽  
Mirjana Lencek
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Early Reading ◽  
Verbal Working Memory ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
English Speakers ◽  
Instructional Time ◽  
Transparent Orthography ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Deep Orthography

The majority view of reading development maintains the importance of specific cognitive and linguistic abilities, e.g. phonological awareness (PA) and vocabulary and verbal working memory (VWM). Another factor in attaining literacy may be the language of exposure, e.g. whether it has a transparent or a deep orthography. This study examines the interaction between known predictors for literacy development and the orthography. It focuses on early levels of literacy (decoding and spelling) amongst children with typical language development. English-speaking (deep orthography) and Croatian-speaking (transparent orthography) kindergarteners were assessed on measures of vocabulary, PA, functions of verbal working memory, and early literacy skills at the beginning of the kindergarten year. The results indicate that a transparent orthography (Croatian) increases early decoding and encoding skills and they show expected correlations between PA, vocabulary, and early literacy abilities. English speakers did not show these correlations at the onset of the kindergarten year. We postulate that the nature of the deep orthography requires some instructional time for English-speaking children before PA and vocabulary will show predictive validity for reading acquisition.

Effects of Explicit and Non-explicit Versions of an Early Intervention Program Incorporating Indigenous Culture into Kindergarten Literacy Instruction

2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie D. Mackay ◽  
Kent Mcintosh
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Intervention Program ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Literacy Intervention ◽  
Risk Category ◽  
Low Literacy ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Low literacy is a challenge facing Indigenous communities across North America and is an identified barrier to school success. Early literacy intervention is an important target to reduce the discrepancies in literacy outcomes. The Moe the Mouse® Speech and Language Development Program (Gardner & Chesterman, 2006) is a cultural curriculum created to improve the early language skills of students aged three to five, but its effectiveness in improving early literacy skills has yet to be assessed. An enhanced Moe the Mouse® program, created by the first author, integrates explicit instruction in phonological awareness into the Moe the Mouse® program. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the two programs. One hundred Kindergarten students at six elementary schools participated in this study. A quasiexperimental pre-post cluster design with three conditions was used. Before and after the program, phonological awareness skills of the students were assessed. Across the intervention, statistically significant differences were found in relation to phonological skills. After the intervention, a statistically significantly smaller proportion of students from the enhanced Moe the Mouse® program fell in the “At Risk” category for later reading difficulties when compared to the other conditions. Additionally, both programs were rated by teachers as socially valid and culturally responsive.

scholarly journals The Use of a Dynamic Screening of Phonological Awareness to Predict Risk for Reading Disabilities in Kindergarten Children

2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mindy Sittner Bridges ◽  
Hugh W. Catts
Keyword(s):  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Early Literacy ◽  
Predictive Validity ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Kindergarten Students ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Screening Measure ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Dynamic Screening

This study examined the usefulness and predictive validity of a dynamic screening of phonological awareness in two samples of kindergarten children. In one sample ( n = 90), the predictive validity of the dynamic assessment was compared to a static version of the same screening measure. In the second sample ( n = 96), the dynamic screening measure was compared to a commonly used screening tool, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Initial Sound Fluency. Results showed that the dynamic screening measure uniquely predicted end-of-year reading achievement and outcomes in both samples. These results provide preliminary support for the usefulness of a dynamic screening measure of phonological awareness for kindergarten students.

scholarly journals Morphological awareness contributes to early literacy in linguistically diverse readers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A. Marks ◽  
Danielle Labotka ◽  
Xin Sun ◽  
Nia Nickerson ◽  
Rachel L. Eggleston ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Early Literacy ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Word Reading ◽  
First Language ◽  
Morphological Awareness ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
New Words ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
English Literacy ◽  
The Impact

Morphological awareness, or awareness of the smallest meaningful units of language, is a well-established predictor of literacy in late elementary school and beyond. Across languages, morphemes are combined to help create and recognize new words primarily through two common principles: derivation (friend-li-est, un-friend-ly) and compounding (boy-friend). Yet, the complexity of English phonology and orthography make it difficult for young learners to identify morphemes in speech as well as in print. This manuscript explores two unresolved issues about how morphological awareness contributes to English literacy in linguistically diverse beginning readers. First, we examined the relation between children’s awareness of derivational and compound morphology and their emerging literacy in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Second, we examined the impact of bilingual experiences with morphologically distinct languages on this relation. Three hundred fifty children, ages 5-9, participated in this study, including English monolinguals, and Spanish-English and Chinese-English dual first language learners. Results revealed a robust, concurrent relationship between morphological awareness and both word reading and reading comprehension. Furthermore, bilingualism moderated this relationship. In bilinguals, the type of morphology that was less characteristic of the children’s heritage language was more closely associated with their English literacy: derivational in Chinese-English bilinguals’ word reading, and compound morphology in Spanish-English bilinguals. These findings inform theoretical perspectives on learning to read across linguistically diverse learners.

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