ERIC Number: EJ1188478
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1088-8438
EISSN: N/A
Cross-Language Transfer of Phonological Awareness and Letter Knowledge: Causal Evidence and Nature of Transfer
Wawire, Brenda A.; Kim, Young-Suk G.
Scientific Studies of Reading, v22 n6 p443-461 2018
Using a randomized control trial, this study examined the causal evidence of cross-language transfer of phonological awareness and letter knowledge (names and sounds) using data from multilingual 1st-grade children (N = 322) in Kenya. Children in the treatment condition received an 8-week instruction on phonological awareness and letter knowledge in Kiswahili. The comparison group received business-as-usual classroom instruction. Children in the treatment condition showed greater improvement in phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge in Kiswahili and English (positive transfer; effect sizes from 0.37 to 0.95), whereas a negative effect was found in letter-name knowledge (interference; effect size, g = 0.27). No effects were found in reading, nor did the results vary by moderators (e.g., Kiswahili vocabulary). Path analyses revealed divergent patterns of results for different outcomes. Results provide causal evidence for cross-language transfer of phonological awareness and letter knowledge and offer important theoretical and practical implications.
Descriptors: Phonological Awareness, Alphabets, Transfer of Training, Multilingualism, Phoneme Grapheme Correspondence, Grade 1, Elementary School Students, African Languages, Attribution Theory, Teaching Methods, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Reading Skills, Foreign Countries, Intelligence Tests, Verbal Ability, Vocabulary, Pretests Posttests
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 530 Walnut Street Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Tel: 215-625-8900; Fax: 215-207-0050; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 1; Primary Education; Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Kenya
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A130131; R305A120147