Session Information
09 SES 05 B, Home and School Learning Environments, Early Childhood Education and Achievement
Paper Session
Contribution
The aim of this study was to investigate whether language knowledge at age 5 as measured with HLJÓM-2 (test on meta-linguistic awareness) predicts results in national tests of students in Grades 4, 7 and 10 in Iceland. The second aim was to investigate the relationship between language knowledge measured with HLJÓM-2 and children’s experiences in primary and secondary school.
Good language knowledge and reading ability are important factors for success in life. Language knowledge and reading ability are closely related factors: reading improves language knowledge, increases vocabulary and stimulates meta-linguistic knowledge. Children learn new words by reading and become familiar with complex sentences that are rarely heard in the speech. In addition, reading deepens knowledge and understanding and hence affects the academic achievement of children (Otto, 2010; Owens, 2008, Paul, 2006; Pence and Justice, 2008).
In the past few decades numerous studies have investigated the relationship between language knowledge and subsequent reading achievement. Children’s language knowledge at the start of primary school seems to be strongly related to future reading and academic achievement (Catt, Fey, Tomblin and Zhang, 2002; Hayiou-Thomas, Harlaar, Dale and Plums, 2010; Jóhanna Einarsdottir Amalía Björnsdottir Ingibjörg Símonardóttir, 2004; Torgesen, Wagner and Rashotte, 1994). One facet of language knowledge is phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the awareness of the phonological structure, or sound structure, of spoken words. This awareness develops to some extent before children learn to read but improves significantly when a child masters reading skills. Components of phonological awareness--such as rhyme, decoding, differentiation, and integration of syllables and sounds--are thought to be the strongest predictors of reading skills (see Hulme and Snowling, 2008; Snow, Burns and Griffin, 1998).
Studies have shown that early intervention during preschool can have a major impact on children’s later development and academic achievements (Chen, Lee and Stevenson, 1996; Snow, etc., 1998; Ritchey and Speece, 2004; Torgesen, etc., 1994). Studies suggest that children that have impaired language development at the start of schooling later fare worse than their peers both in reading and reading comprehension (Johnson, Beitchman, Escobar, Atkinson, Wilson et al, 1999). Such children also have a greater risk of developing social and psychological problems later in life (Clegg, Hollis, Mawhood and Rutter, 2005; Kamhi and Catt, 2005). It is therefore important to identify at-risk children early and provide them with assistance that increases their chances of achieving academically.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Catts, H.W., Fey, M.E., Tomblin, J.B. and Zhang, X. (2002). A longitudinal investigation of reading outcomes in children with language impairments. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 45, 1142–1157. Chen, C., Lee,S. og Stevenson H.W. (1996). Long-term prediction of academic achievement of American, Chinese, and Japanese adolescents. Journal of Educational Psychology, 18, 750–759. Clegg, J., Hollis, C., Mawhood, L. and Rutter, M. (2005). Developmental language-disorders: A follow-up in later adult life: Cognitive, language and psychosocial outcomes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46, 128–149. Hayiou-Thomas, M.E., Harlaar,N., Dale, P.S. and Plomin,R. (2010). Preschool speech, language skills, and reading at 7, 9 and 10 years:Etiology of the relationship. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 53, 311–332. Hulme, C., and Snowling, M.J. (2009). Developmental disorders of language learning and cognition. West-Sussex:Wiley-Blackwell. Johnson, C.J., Beitchman, J.H., Young, A., Escobar, M., Atkinson, L., Wilson, B., etc. (1999). Fourteen-year follow up of children with and without speech-language impair-ments: Speech/language stability and outcomes. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 42, 744–760. Jóhanna Einarsdóttir, Amalía Björnsdóttir and Ingibjörg Símonardóttir. (2004). Málþroska-mælingar í leikskóla og forspárgildi þeirra um námsgengi grunnskóla. Uppeldi og menntun, 13, 67–90. Otto, B. (2010). Language development in early childhood. New-Jersey:Pearson. Owens, R.E. (2008). Language development. Boston:Pearson. Paul, R. (2006). Language disorders from infancy through adolescence: assessment and intervention. St. Louis, Missouri:Mosby. Pence, K.L. and Justice, L.M. (2008). Language development from theory to practice. New-Jersey:Pearson. Ritchey, K.D. og Speece, D.L. (2004). Early identification of reading disabilities: Current status and new directions. Assessment for Effective Intervention, 29(4), 13–24. Snow, C.E., Burns, M.S., and Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children. Washington:National Academy Press. Torgesen, J., Wagner, R.and Rashotte, C. (1994). Longitudinal studies of phonological processing and reading. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27(5), 276–286.
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