How phonological awareness mediates the relation between children's self-control and word decoding

Abstract

Around the age of five, worldwide, most children show phonological awareness and word decoding abilities which are needed to become literate. Ample evidence has shown that subjective measures of self-control in kindergarten strongly contribute to the emergence of reading. In the present study, we examined this relation more thoroughly, by considering contributions of objective self-measures of both attentional control and behavioral control to the developmental trajectory from phonological awareness to subsequent decoding. Ninety-six children were assessed on their attentional and behavioral control and phonological awareness in kindergarten. One year later, in grade 1, their decoding abilities were assessed. Using the bootstrapping process procedure, we found both self-control and phonological awareness in kindergarten to be related to decoding in first grade. Process analyses revealed that phonological awareness interferes with the relation between self-control and decoding. For attentional control, full mediation was evidenced; for behavioral control, an indirect effect was found. It is concluded that self-control allows the development of reading abilities that predate formal reading instruction via the advancements in phonological awareness.