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Cohen-Mimran R, Reznik-Nevet L, Gott D, Share DL. Preschool morphological awareness contributes to word reading at the very earliest stages of learning to read in a transparent orthography. READING AND WRITING 2022; 36:1-21. [PMID: 36247690 PMCID: PMC9549447 DOI: 10.1007/s11145-022-10340-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of the current study was to examine whether morphological awareness measured before children are taught to read (Kindergarten in Israel) predicts reading accuracy and fluency in the middle of first grade, at the very beginning of the process of learning to read pointed Hebrew - a highly transparent orthography, and whether this contribution remains after controlling for phonemic awareness. In a longitudinal design, 680 Hebrew-speaking children were administered morphological and phonemic awareness measures at the end of the preschool year (before they were taught to read) then followed up into first grade when reading was tested in mid-year. The results indicated that even at this early point in learning to read a transparent orthography, preschool morphological awareness contributes significantly to both reading accuracy and reading fluency, even after partialling out age, non-verbal general ability, and phonemic awareness. The current results extend the Functional Opacity argument (Share, 2008) which proposes that at the initial stages of reading acquisition, when children still have incomplete mastery of some aspects of the spelling-sound system, non-phonological sources of information about word identity such as morphology can assist in the decoding process. The practical implications of these results with regard to early reading instruction are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravit Cohen-Mimran
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 31905 Haifa, Israel
| | | | - Dana Gott
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - David L. Share
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, Haifa, Israel
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Repeated series learning revisited with a novel prediction on the reduced effect of item frequency in dyslexia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13521. [PMID: 35941176 PMCID: PMC9359986 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16805-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia, a difficulty with acquiring fluent reading, has also been characterized by reduced short-term memory (STM) capacity, which is often operationalized with span tasks. The low performance of individuals with dyslexia (IDDs) in such tasks is commonly attributed to poor phonological memory. However, we suggest an alternative explanation based on the observation that many times the items that are used in spans tasks are high-frequency items (e.g., digit words). We suggest that IDDs do not enjoy the benefit of item frequency to the same extent as controls, and thus their performance in span tasks is especially hampered. On the contrary, learning of repeated sequences was shown to be largely independent of item frequency, and therefore this type of learning may be unimpaired in dyslexia. To test both predictions, we used the Hebb-learning paradigm. We found that IDDs’ performance is especially poor compared to controls’ when high-frequency items are used, and that their repeated series learning does not differ from that of controls. Taken together with existing literature, our findings suggest that impaired learning of repeated series is not a core characteristic of dyslexia, and that the reports on reduced STM in dyslexia may to a large extent be explained by reduced benefit of item frequency.
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Bergman Deitcher D, Aram D, Itzkovich I. Alphabet Books: Relations Between Aspects of Parent-Child Shared Reading, Children’s Motivation, and Early Literacy Skills. READING PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/02702711.2021.1888344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Dorit Aram
- Constantiner School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Inbar Itzkovich
- Constantiner School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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Kimel E, Weiss AH, Jakoby H, Daikhin L, Ahissar M. Short-term memory capacity and sensitivity to language statistics in dyslexia and among musicians. Neuropsychologia 2020; 149:107624. [PMID: 32920031 PMCID: PMC7768182 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 09/06/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Poor short-term memory (STM) capacity in individuals with dyslexia (IDDs) and enhanced STM capacity in musicians are well documented, yet their causes are disputed. Previous studies also found poor use of stimuli statistics by IDDs and enhanced use by musicians. We hypothesized that these observations are functionally related, as follows: Enhanced sensitivity to statistics facilitates musicians' benefit from each exposure, and reduced sensitivity to statistics hinders IDDs' benefit. Thus, larger group differences are expected for larger exposure: STM capacity, which is sensitive to item familiarity, will thus be larger among musicians, and smaller among IDDS, particularly for high-frequency items. Testing this hypothesis using syllable span, we found that musicians' advantage and IDDs' difficulty were indeed larger for high-frequency syllables than for low-frequency ones. By contrast, benefits from sequence repetition did not differ between musicians, controls and IDDs, suggesting that online sequence learning is based on a different mechanism. To test this dissociation we recruited, in addition to native Hebrew speakers, native English speakers, matched to the Hebrew-speaking controls. Their spans for high-frequency syllables in Hebrew, which do not have high frequency in English, were small - as expected from reduced exposure to these syllables. Yet, their benefit from sequence repetition was similar to that of the three Hebrew-speaking groups. Taken together, these experiments suggest that different sensitivities to item frequency explain some of the population-related variability in STM tasks. By contrast, benefits from sequence repetition do not depend on item familiarity, and do not differ between groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Kimel
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University, Edmond J. Safra Campus - Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel.
| | - Atalia Hai Weiss
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel; Department of Communication Disorders, Hadassah Academic College, 37 Hanevi'im St.Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
| | - Hilla Jakoby
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel; Department of Communication Disorders, Hadassah Academic College, 37 Hanevi'im St.Jerusalem 9101001, Israel
| | - Luba Daikhin
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel
| | - Merav Ahissar
- The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University, Edmond J. Safra Campus - Givat Ram, Jerusalem, 9190401, Israel; Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, 9190501, Israel
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Asadi IA, Abu-Rabia S. The Impact of the Position of Phonemes and Lexical Status on Phonological Awareness in the Diglossic Arabic Language. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2019; 48:1051-1062. [PMID: 31065997 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-019-09646-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed at examining the impact of phonemes and lexical status on phonological manipulation among pre-school children. Specifically, we tested the impact of phonemic positions (initial vs. final) and lexical status (shared, spoken, standard and pseudo-words) on phonemic isolation performance. Participants were 1012 children from the second year (K2) and third year (K2) in kindergarten. The results of the ANOVAs revealed significant effect of the phonemes' position on the phonemic isolation performance whereas the performance was easier with the initial rather than the final phonemes. Also, the repeated measure analysis showed that the lexical status also impacts the phonemic isolation performance. The performance in pseudo-words was lower than all the others. However, the other clusters of real words did not differ. The results are discussed in the light of previous findings in the literature and of differences in the syllabic structures of the words that may influence phonological awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim A Asadi
- Department of Special Education and Learning Disabilities, The Academic Arab College for Education, Haifa, Israel.
- The Unit for the Study of Arabic Language, Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
| | - Salim Abu-Rabia
- Department of Special Education, Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Wasserstein D, Lipka O. Predictive Examination of Phonological Awareness Among Hebrew-Speaking Kindergarten Children. Front Psychol 2019; 10:1809. [PMID: 31555160 PMCID: PMC6724554 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the development of phonological awareness (PA) skills among Hebrew-speaking kindergarten children. Specifically, the study examines the effects of cognitive, early literacy, and language skills to PA among Hebrew-speaking children at the middle (Early K) and end (End K) of kindergarten, and the contribution of various literacy and cognitive skills measured from the early kindergarten stage to the subsequent development of PA. Participants were 41 native Hebrew-speaking children (28 boys), ages 5-6, who were recruited from two kindergarten classrooms. A battery of cognitive, early literacy, and language measures was administered and ten PA skills were examined extensively. The results demonstrated the rapid growth of PA skills from Early K to End K. The participants were significantly better at manipulations at the syllable level, as compared to phonemes or consonants. Furthermore, deletion of a final consonant was found to be easier for them than deletion of an initial consonant. This finding emphasizes the body-coda segmentation tendency, which characterizes the Hebrew language structure. Strong-moderate positive correlations were found between PA and both letter naming and executive functioning at Early K. A strong correlation between letter naming and PA was found at End K. Regression analyses demonstrated that letter naming and executive functioning at Early K were the most significant predictors of PA at Early K, and that letter naming was the most significant predictor at End K. These findings highlight both universal and language-specific features of phonological awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorin Wasserstein
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Orly Lipka
- Department of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Edmond J. Safra Brain Research Center, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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Share DL, Bar-On A. Learning to Read a Semitic Abjad: The Triplex Model of Hebrew Reading Development. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2017; 51:444-453. [PMID: 28703637 DOI: 10.1177/0022219417718198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We introduce a model of Hebrew reading development that emphasizes both the universal and script-specific aspects of learning to read a Semitic abjad. At the universal level, the study of Hebrew reading acquisition offers valuable insights into the fundamental dilemmas of all writing systems-balancing the competing needs of the novice versus the expert reader (Share, 2008). At the script-specific level, pointed Hebrew initially employs supplementary vowel signs, providing the beginning reader a consistent, phonologically well-specified script while helping the expert-to-be unitize words and morphemes via (consonantal) spelling constancy. A major challenge for the developing Hebrew reader is negotiating the transition from pointed to unpointed Hebrew, with its abundance of homographs. Our triplex model emphasizes three phases of early Hebrew reading development: a progression from lower-order, phonological (sublexical) sequential spelling-to-sound translation (Phase 1, Grade 1) to higher-order, string-level (lexical) lexico-morpho-orthographic processing (Phase 2, Grade 2) followed, in the upper elementary grades, by a supralexical contextual level (Phase 3) essential for dealing with the pervasive homography of unpointed Hebrew.
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Children's ability to learn a motor skill is related to handwriting and reading proficiency. LEARNING AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lindif.2016.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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Aram D, Meidan IC, Deitcher DB. A Comparison Between Homeschooled and Formally Schooled Kindergartners: Children's Early Literacy, Mothers’ Beliefs, and Writing Mediation. READING PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/02702711.2016.1157537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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Baek S. Sub-syllabic processing in young Korean-English bilinguals: semivowel placement differences between Korean and English. JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH 2014; 43:507-533. [PMID: 23999940 DOI: 10.1007/s10936-013-9260-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated the sub-syllabic awareness of two groups of 86 Korean kindergarteners learning English as a foreign language (EFL) or English as a second language (ESL). In addition, it explored the cross-language transfer of sub-syllabic units between Korean and English by taking into account their lexical abilities with respect to the two languages. The participants were assessed in Korean and English based on their sound oddity and similarity judgments with respect to sub-syllabic units in spoken pseudo-syllables containing semivowels (e.g., /j/ and /w/) as well as on a lexical ability test. The results indicate that EFL and ESL children preferred body structure and rime structure, respectively, regardless of the language. These results provide support for the bilingual interactive activation model; that is, bilingual lexicon may be represented in language non-selective access. Further, the differences in semivowel placement between Korean and English may be a possible resource for language-specific sub-syllabic awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seunghyun Baek
- Department of English Language and Literature, Chonnam National University, 300 Yongbong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 500-757, Korea,
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Bodies and codas or core syllables plus appendices? Evidence for a developmental theory of subsyllabic division preference. Cognition 2011; 121:338-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2011.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2006] [Revised: 07/25/2011] [Accepted: 08/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Wang M, Gao W. Subsyllabic unit preference in learning to read pinyin syllables. CONTEMPORARY EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cedpsych.2011.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Share DL. Orthographic Learning, Phonological Recoding, and Self-Teaching. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2008; 36:31-82. [PMID: 18808041 DOI: 10.1016/s0065-2407(08)00002-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Levin I. The role of Hebrew letter names in early literacy: The case of multiphonemic acrophonic names. J Exp Child Psychol 2007; 98:193-216. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2007.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2007] [Revised: 09/01/2007] [Accepted: 09/01/2007] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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de Jong PF. Phonological awareness and the use of phonological similarity in letter-sound learning. J Exp Child Psychol 2007; 98:131-52. [PMID: 17692331 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2007.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2006] [Revised: 06/15/2007] [Accepted: 06/16/2007] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The effects of the phonological similarity between a letter sound and the sound in a spoken word, and phonological awareness on letter-sound learning were examined. Two groups of 41 kindergartners were taught four letter sounds. First, both groups had to learn the associations between four symbols and four familiar words. Next, both groups were taught the letter sounds that were paired to these same symbols. Each letter sound corresponded to the first sound of the word that was previously associated with that symbol in the phonological similarity group, whereas such a relation was absent in the other group. In addition, measures of vocabulary, letter knowledge, and phonological awareness were administered. Phonological similarity facilitated letter-sound learning. Individual differences in phonological awareness had a strong effect on letter-sound learning even after current letter knowledge was controlled. Unexpectedly, the effects of phonological awareness and the ability to use phonological similarity on letter-sound learning were found to be independent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter F de Jong
- Department of Education, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Levin I, Shatil-Carmon S, Asif-Rave O. Learning of letter names and sounds and their contribution to word recognition. J Exp Child Psychol 2006; 93:139-65. [PMID: 16249004 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2005.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2004] [Revised: 08/23/2005] [Accepted: 08/30/2005] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated knowledge of letter names and letter sounds, their learning, and their contributions to word recognition. Of 123 preschoolers examined on letter knowledge, 65 underwent training on both letter names and letter sounds in a counterbalanced order. Prior to training, children were more advanced in associating letters with their names than with their sounds and could provide the sound of a letter only if they could name it. However, children learned more easily to associate letters with sounds than with names. Training just on names improved performance on sounds, but the sounds produced were extended (CV) rather than phonemic. Learning sounds facilitated later learning of the same letters' names, but not vice versa. Training either on names or on sounds improved word recognition and explanation of printed words. Results are discussed with reference to cognitive and societal factors affecting letter knowledge acquisition, features of the Hebrew alphabet and orthography, and educational implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Levin
- School of Education, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, Israel.
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