Teaching Phonological Awareness to Children With Hearing Loss Who Use Spoken Language: Six Big Ideas

Purpose Because children with hearing loss experience difficulty in developing word decoding and spelling skills, effective phonological awareness instruction for this population is vital. Children with hearing loss are often delayed in their development of phonological awareness compared to peers with normal hearing; however, the developmental progression appears to be the same for both groups of children. Some modifications to typical phonological awareness instruction are warranted for this population. Conclusion This article synthesizes recent research on phonological awareness instruction for children with hearing loss from several research groups into 6 big ideas that have led to impressive gains in phonological awareness skills for this population.

A Systematic Review of Phonological Awareness Interventions for Latino Children in Early and Primary Grades

This article summarizes the findings of a systematic review of 15 group and two single-subject experimental design studies that evaluated the effectiveness of phonological awareness interventions for dual language learners (DLL) in preschool through second grade. Studies were evaluated using a Consumer Reports-like rating system. Each study was rated on quality indicators for design characteristics, measurement and reliability, evaluation of treatment effects, and external validity. The effects of phonological awareness interventions for Latino children who are DLL in the early and primary grades are promising, although the studies’ results are tempered by conceptual limitations. Most studies demonstrated acceptable design characteristics and implementation fidelity. Few studies included measures of social validity and consumer satisfaction. Although the review did not identify a single treatment approach to be superior, preliminary evidence suggests that children can benefit from phonological awareness instruction that is explicit and allows for multiple response opportunities. The results of this review also indicate that children who are DLL benefit from bilingual phonological awareness instruction without detracting them from acquiring English phonological awareness skills.

Explicit Versus Implicit Modes of EFL Reading Literacy Instruction: Using Phonological Awareness With Adult Arab Learners

There is a strong belief among language teachers that intensive exposure to language alone can lead to acquisition. The present study is a qualitative- quantitative research design that used a quasi-experimental design to compare between the effectiveness of intensive exposure to language versus phonological awareness explicit instruction on adult Arab EFL learners’ EFL reading literacy in a Saudi university context. The study is also concerned with Saudi adult learners’ attitudes towards phonological awareness instruction. Participants (N=89) were all male students enrolled in an intensive EFL undergraduate program, where they were required to pass an intensive EFL course. Sample were randomly divided into a treatment group (N=47), who received phonological awareness treatment, and a control group (N=42) who were exposed to language intensively. Posttest findings confirmed the significant effect of phonological awareness instruction on the sample’s EFL literacy. Moreover, positive attitudes towards the program were detected in the interviews held at the end of treatment. Therefore, the study recommended introducing phonological awareness instruction to develop Arab learners’ EFL literacy.