Effects of phonological awareness instruction on reading acquisition of the English language in Lebanese private schools

النوع : Mémoire

The current study examined the effects of phonological awareness instruction on children’s reading achievement in Lebanese private schools at the preschool level. In addition to phonemic awareness, two variables - rhyme and letter-sound knowledge, were included to ascertain if a relationship exists between rhyme and letter-sound knowledge to phonological awareness and its importance in achieving a higher level of literacy development. The target sample was the preschool level in the Lebanese private school (ages 4, 5 & 6). The instrument used to collect data was a 35-item assessment test. One-hundred and eighteen children were assessed in Kindergarten II from three different schools which implement diverse instructional methods in learning a second language (English). Results showed a significant difference between the average scores of children receiving the two instructional methods; phonological awareness and letter-sound knowledge, and the average scores of children who only received letter-sound knowledge and/or rhyme instruction. No evidence was found for a significant difference between children who received rhyme and letter-sound knowledge instruction and children who only received letter-sound instruction.