M.A. in Human Development Thesis

This project was conducted to determine whether §training in phonological awareness leads to §significant improvements in letter-sound §correspondence knowledge. Subjects included 46 §junior kindergarten students from low socio-§economic status schools in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. §Subjects were screened using the PPVT-III (Peabody §Picture Vocabulary Test-III) and a letter name §knowledge test. Subjects were assigned to one of §three treatment groups: phonological awareness, §letter-sound correspondence knowledge, or §combination (phonological awareness and letter-sound §correspondence), or to a control group trained in §math knowledge. Subjects were trained in small §groups of two or three children for a total of 10 10-§minute sessions. Subjects were pre-, mid-, and post-§tested on math knowledge, phonological awareness, §and letter-sound correspondence knowledge. §Phonological awareness training did not lead to §significant improvements in letter-sound §correspondence knowledge, but letter name knowledge §was found to be a significant predictor of math §knowledge, phonological awareness, and letter-sound §correspondence knowledge measures.