The Effects of Phonemic Awareness Drills on Phonological Awareness and Word Reading Performance in a Later Learned Alphabetic Script.

This study examined the effectiveness of phonemic awareness drills on phonological awareness and word reading performance in English of Mainland Chinese students in primary school. Employing a nonequivalent control group design, the research questions explored: (1) whether phonemic awareness drills promoted phonological awareness with the English language; and (2) whether phonemic awareness drills enhanced word reading was generalizable across gender or if the findings were specific to gender. Participants were 202 students in grades 1 and 2, 95 who were female, attending a private elementary school in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China. Over a period of 10 weeks, 101 students in the experimental group engaged in phoneme production/replication, phoneme isolation, phoneme segmentation and counting the sounds, phoneme blending, rhyming, phoneme deletion, 'and phoneme substitution with English sounds. Assessments were subtests of the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (Elision, Blending Words, and Segmenting Words) and the Test of Word Reading Efficiency (Sight Word Efficiency). Analyses showed 'an important and consistent difference in words learned and phonological awareness gained by members of the experimental group, whether male or female. The findings strongly suggest explicit instruction in phonemic awareness promoted phonological awareness and word reading in English of Chinese primary school children. (Contains 52 references and 1 figure.) (Author/RS) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Phonemic Awareness I Running head: EFFECTS OF PHONEMIC AWARENESS DRILLS The Effects of Phonemic Awareness Drills on Phonological Awareness and Word Reading Performance in a Later Learned Alphabetic Script Rhea A. Ashmore, Merle J. Farrier, and Lucy Hart Paulson The University of Montana-Missoula Xianhua Chu Zhejiang University, People's Republic of China This research was supported in part by funding from The University of Montana Foundation Excellence Fund and the offices of George M. Dennison, President Lois E. Muir, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; and Lloyd T. Chesnut, Vice President of Research and Development, at The University of Montana-Missoula. We are grateful to Rick A. van den Pol, Director of the Division of Educational Research and Service, The University of Montana-Missoula, for his support and Ray Beck, Senior Vice President, Sopris West, for providing the intervention materials. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS CENTER (ERIC) BEEN GRANTED BY This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. Minor changes have been made to tr') improve reproduction quality. TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) Points of view or opinions stated in this kr) document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. Cf) 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Phonemic Awareness 2