Phonological awareness and reading ability of pre-school children and children in the first and second grade in school

Past research confirms the importance of a properly developed phonological awareness for reading and writing. Many of the causes of reading difficulties stem from problems in the phonological domain. \nThe aim of this diploma project was to test phonological awareness, including several domains of phonological awareness, to find the connection between phonological awareness and reading ability, to ascertain whether gender has a significant effect on phonological awareness and in which elements of phonological awareness statistically significant differences appear between preschool children, children in the first year of primary school and children in the second year. \nThe first part of this thesis includes theoretical foundations connected with the subject of this diploma project. There follows research carried out in the primary school Anton Tomaž Linhart in Radovljica and the nurseries in Gorje and Radovljica. The study focussed on sixty children: twenty preschool children, twenty children from the first year and twenty children from the second year. Ten girls and ten boys from each department cooperated in the study. Data was gathered with the help of a test of phonological awareness and a one-minute reading test. The results confirm what is already known about phonological awareness and reading ability. Younger children have more poorly developed phonological awareness than older children; i.e. children in the first year of primary school have more poorly developed phonological awareness than children in the second year and better developed phonological awareness than preschool children. Children with well developed phonological awareness also have well developed reading abilities. \nThe research confirms gradual development in keeping with certain laws and in a certain order, in line with the child’s age and the development of his cognitive abilities. \n