Effect of Phonological Awareness Training on Word Decoding Abilities in Typically Developing First Standard Children Learning to Read Kannada

The role of phonological awareness in learning to readalphabetical languages is unequivocal. The importance of phonological awarenessover other cognitive-linguistic skills in learning to read has been exploredand has been identified as language universal skill in predicting the readingabilities. Majority of the studies conducted in alphasyllabary languagesconcentrates mainly on development and association of phonological awarenessskills with reading in school going population (D’souza & Somashekara, 2015; Nag, 2007; Nagaraja& Sampathkumar, 2016; Prakash & Rekha, 1992; Prakash et al., 1993;Prema, 1998; Waknis, Chintala, & Vanaja, 2017).However, the few studies conducted in alphasyllabaries have not evidenced thestrong association of phonological awareness with reading abilities andremained equivocal (Akila, 2000; Dinesh, 2002; (Akhila, 2000; Dinesh, 2002; Patel & Soper, 1987;Prakash & Rekha, 1992).Some claim that the phonological awareness is not a good predictor of readingskills in alphasyllabaries (Prakash & Mohanty, 1995; Prema, 1998; Prema& Karanth, 2003; Prakash, Rekha, Nigam, & Karanth, 1993; Rekha, 1997),however, some report that syllable awareness contributes significantly to wordreading abilities followed by Akshara knowledge (Cho & Mc Bride-Chang,2005; Nag, 2007; Nag & Snowling, 2012; Simpson & Kang, 2004; Vaid &Gupta, 2002; Vasanta, 2004; Winskel & Iemwanthong, 2009). These studieswhich were conducted in alphasyllabaries so far evaluated the relationshipbetween phonological awareness and reading during later grades of primary andupper primary years of schooling, where the children would have developedsufficient decoding skills and also the phonological awareness would be at theceiling, thereby effecting the relationship between the two variables. Majorityof the studies conducted so far in alphasyllabaries are cross-sectional,correlational, and notably a single longitudinal study (Nag, 2007). Amongstlongitudinal and correlational studies, the causal relationship can be best explainedby training studies, that shows the change in one variable as a result oftraining in another variable. During the initial period of schooling, childconsciously tries to map the written symbols such as graphemes to therespective sound they make. Training phonological awareness during this periodwould enable them to fine-tune the current level of phonological awarenessthereby helping them to effortlessly map grapheme to a phoneme that has apositive impact on word decoding abilities. Moreover, initiating earlyphonological awareness intervention may be more effective than later inchildhood. Because, it may prepare children to get involved in readinginstruction more effectively (Bus & van Ijzendoorn, 1999). In alongitudinal research Juel (1988) reported that poor readers of first gradecontinued to fail in reading even when they reached fourth grade. Thedifference between unsuccessful readers and their contemporaries with typicalreading abilities continued to widen over the elementary years (Stanovich,1986), because intervening reading problems beyond Grade three becomesincreasingly challenging (Fletcher & Foorman, 1994; Kennedy, Birman, &Demaline, 1986; Lyon, 1985). Hence, earlier the training, better the outcome.

A clear understanding of the phonological awarenessrole  is well established in alphabeticallanguages through intervention studies. However, the studies establishing thecausal relationship between phonological awareness and reading in alphasyllariesare scarce. Earlier some of the studies developed and evaluated theeffectiveness of remedial metaphonological training program in Kannada (Shilpashree & Prema, 2004)and Malayalam (Ponnumani & Prema, 2003)alphasyllabaries. Post-training, they assessed only metaphonological skills andreported improved metaphonological skills among children with dyslexia. Thesestudies did not report the causal role of metaphonological training on readingskills.

The evidence from the training studies in alphabeticallanguage during early years of schooling in both typically developing and alsopersons with reading disability resulted in improved word decoding skills(Charles Hulme, Bowyer-Crane, Carroll, Duff, & Snowling, 2012; Ehri et al.,2001; Leafsted, Richards, & Gerber, 2004; Kjeldsen, Kärnä, Niemi, Olofsson,& Witting, 2014; National Reading Panel, 2000; Torgesen, 2000), thussuggesting to employ phonological awareness training for typically developingto foster metaphonological skills so that reading skills improve. The trainingprograms are also employed on children who are at-risk to develop readingdisabilities in order to prevent them from developing reading disabilities inlater grades. However, such programs cannot be employed regularly in theclassroom in the Indian scenario, without the evidence of its effectiveness inimproving metaphonological and reading skills. Subsidiary to these issues intraining, the majority of school going children in the rural part of Karnatakaopts invariably Kannada as the medium of instructions. Hence, it is essentialto establish theoretical and pedagogical evidence of phonological awarenesstraining in general or specific to children with reading difficulties.

Within the present scenario of equivocal understandingof phonological awareness and its association with reading abilities in alphasyllabaries,it is essential to determine the role of phonological awareness in reading,specifically during initial years of schooling. It can be achieved mainlythrough intervention studies which are scanty in alphasyllabary languages.Hence the present study aims to investigate the effectiveness of phonologicalawareness training on word decoding skills in typically developing first gradechildren learning to read the Kannada language.