How do variations in phonology across dialects and speech patterns affect the development of phonemic awareness?
Numerous studies have investigated how dialects of standard languages affect learning in children. Researchers examine whether dialect-based differences in language structure affect the development of early reading and spelling skills. It appears that children who grow up speaking a dialect face increased complexity in learning to read and write due to a "linguistic mismatch" between their speech and the standard written language. This mismatch may occur at the level of phonology, vocabulary, or even sentence structure. As a result, reading acquisition can be more challenging if printed language does not directly correspond to the spoken language (Bühler, 2023).
As an instructor of a phonics class, I took over a class from a British teacher and found that he pronounced some words differently than what I was accustomed to. This caused some students to spell and pronounce words differently, following my prompt. The same effect is seen when you ask students to write down a word after hearing it. Reminding them to say the word out loud before writing it down may lead to misspelling caused by mispronunciation. I recall a particular instance where a student attempted to spell the word "girl" and wrote "girol" as this is how she pronounced the word. It's common for individuals who are still learning how to write and spell to rely on their own or others' pronunciation to spell words if they haven't learned the correct way to spell most words.
This video shows how people speak the same language in different ways, with different pronunciations and speech patterns. How a student speaks or those around them can affect their phonemic awareness, the further away from written language the speech is.
Evidence-based practices to develop phonemic awareness
Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate the individual sounds or
phonemes in words. Research indicates that this is the most critical element of phonological
awareness, as phonemic level skills are key to success in later reading and spelling
development (Rice et al., 2023).
Interactive read-aloud strategies can be effective in promoting phonemic awareness. My students enjoy story time, whether in English or Chinese. Here is one way to incorporate phonemic awareness in story time.
1. Sound identification:
The technique of sound identification is used during story time by asking children to identify the beginning, middle, or ending sound of a word (McArdle, 2023. For my students, I would have them guess or identify the beginning sound. The book "Izzy Wizzy" is a great resource to help them with sound identification since they are already familiar with most of the vocabulary and concepts in the book. At the beginning, I would ask them to identify the sound of the girl's name and then as we read on, I have them identify the beginning sounds of familiar words such as cat, dog, and fish. Once we have done this a few times, my students would naturally continue to do so on their own. When reading a book like this I would normally ask my students questions like “what did Izzy wish for”, after about 2 pages I no longer have to ask, they begin to retell the story on their own. This can easily be transferable to sound identification.This strategy is a simple way to improve phonemic awareness and sound discrimination skills, and can be incorporated into daily routines easily (McArdle, 2023).
Multi-sensory practices to develop phonemic awareness
Multisensory instruction is a teaching approach that involves engaging multiple senses to
create a more comprehensive learning experience. In this method, various senses are used rather than just reading and listening. This helps students to engage with the material in multiple ways, leading to better retention and understanding (Morin, 2023). In my classroom, I incorporate several techniques, such as sand writing and sandpaper letters, to facilitate learning. During these activities, children use their finger to write a letter or word in sand, while simultaneously vocalizing the sound. This fosters a connection between letters and their sounds, using sight, touch, and sound (Morin, 2024). When teaching phonemic awareness, a lesson can be structured using multisensory activities to improve student engagement. One approach could be to start by introducing sounds and blending using kinesthetic cues. For instance, pairing each sound with an action or movement, or sliding to the side while saying the sounds and blending. To further engage the senses, children can use manipulatives like blocks to construct words, encouraging tactile, auditory, and visual learning (Wise, 2022).
How do reader characteristics, motivation, text complexity, and purpose of reading impact comprehension and engagement?
Reader characteristics
According to Nowak (2022), proficient readers engage with text, anticipate, question, and adjust their understanding as they read. They also apply unique approaches to various texts, create mental visualizations, make assumptions, organize information, and appreciate literature. The reader's characteristics and abilities can affect their comprehension of text. Student’s reading skills, vocabulary, background knowledge, working memory, and ability to recollect text and make both text-based and knowledge-based inferences are all factors that play a role in the interaction between reader characteristics and comprehension (Elliot, 2023). To enhance reading comprehension, students require the appropriate background knowledge and an improved vocabulary. Creating games and activities is a great way to develop good reader habits. Here is how I would apply this.
Word Hunt: Students can search for individual words within a given text. This activity sharpens listening skills, develops word recognition abilities, and teaches learners how to pronounce new words.
Retelling a Story: This activity helps students to accurately convey written information. After giving students enough time to review and reflect on the story, I would ask them to retell it in their own words, following the correct sequence of events. Retelling a story enhances speaking and listening skills, the ability to memorize key information, and helps expand the learner's vocabulary.
Incorporating these activities into the classroom helps students to develop good reading habits, improve their vocabulary, and enhance their comprehension skills (Starkie, 2022).
Reading motivation
For students there are various reasons for reading, including curiosity to learn about a topic, aesthetic enjoyment of a literary text, the challenge of learning complex ideas from text, the gratification of receiving a tangible reward for success in reading, and the desire for favorable evaluations from a teacher (Guthrie et al., n.d.). Motivation plays a crucial role in the learning process as it can influence how well a student is able to comprehend
the material. When students are highly motivated, they tend to be more engaged in the lesson, which in turn makes them more open to and receptive of new information (Mendoza, n.d.). Students who lack motivation may struggle to comprehend texts due to less practice and experience. Self-motivated children tend to have more experience with reading and comprehension. Teachers may need to provide external motivation for students who lack
motivation to read (Sleighr, 2014).
When selecting a reading, instructors should make it relevant to course goals, other texts on the syllabus, and students' development. It is important to help students connect the reading to prior knowledge and make it interesting by posing questions that the reading addresses or issues that it provides insight into. Handing out a series of questions on an upcoming topic can be a useful strategy to make students aware of what they do not yet
know (Motivating Students to Read Actively, n.d.). This can aid in making students motivated to read. One simple way to promote a love of reading among young students is to let them choose their own books, even if it's just by the cover. This will keep the kids interested and engaged, making reading a fun and enjoyable experience.
Text complexity
Text complexity refers to the level of difficulty in reading a text, based on both quantitative and qualitative features. It is a crucial factor in selecting appropriate materials that challenge students at the right level (Shanahan, 2023).
One way to tackle this issue is to tailor the text material according to the students' age and level of comprehension. This approach can significantly increase children's understanding of the material and keep them interested in reading.
Purpose of reading
Reading serves many purposes, such as gaining knowledge and improving vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills. These objectives are particularly relevant in an academic setting (Anders, 2022). Reading with a clear purpose is crucial to maintain students' engagement and interest in reading. In a classroom setting, having a purpose for reading can motivate students to truly understand and absorb the text. This purpose could be for a class discussion, a test or a reward system. Regardless of what it is, ensuring there is a clear purpose for reading is essential.
To address this issue, consider speaking with students and explaining the relevance of the text. It's also beneficial to set a tangible objective or goal that students can aim towards. For instance, you could mention that a test is coming up or off er a prize for the best output activity (summary, role play, presentation). By having a clear purpose, students will remain engaged and motivated throughout the reading process.
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