Phonological awareness and speech perception: Skills of Grade 1 English second language learners

Casey J Eslick,Mia Le Roux,Salome Geertsema,Lidia Pottas

doi:10.4102/rw.v11i1.263

Abstract

Background: Literacy achievement of learners is a concern in many developing countries, particularly for English second language (EL2) learners with inadequate language development. It is important to investigate foundational phonological awareness (PA), as well as speech perception skills to guide the development of effective intervention for EL2 learners to facilitate optimal literacy acquisition. Objectives: The study aimed to describe the PA and speech perception in noise skills of South African Grade 1, EL2 participants, learning in an English first language (EL1) context, to inform evidence-based support during literacy acquisition for EL2 learners. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was employed. Twenty-five EL1 participants provided normative results for the Phonological Awareness Test – 2 and South African English Digits-in-Noise Test , enabling between-group comparisons with 25 matched EL2 participants for quantitative data analysis. Demographic and background information was obtained using parental questionnaires. Results: The EL2 learners presented with PA skills below those of EL1 learners in all subtests. Though the speech perception in noise skills of EL2 learners were within the normative range for their age, their skills are also lower in comparison to EL1 learners. Conclusion: The findings support the inclusion of explicit PA instruction for rhyming, segmentation, isolation, deletion, substitution, and blending for EL2 literacy acquisition. Developing speech perception in noise skills is necessary to facilitate PA and phoneme-grapheme knowledge. This can enable decoding for early EL2 literacy acquisition.

Highlights

Oral language proficiency is fundamental to literacy development and academic success (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley 2012:24; Nyaga 2015:175)
The results of the EL1 learners are regarded as a baseline indicator of the expected level of skills necessary for EL2 learners to learn in the EL1 environment
The current study aimed to indicate the level of phonological awareness (PA) and speech perception in noise skills of Grade 1 EL2 learners required to learn in an English language of learning and teaching (ELoLT) context

Summary

Introduction

Oral language proficiency is fundamental to literacy development and academic success (Hay & Fielding-Barnsley 2012:24; Nyaga 2015:175). In developing countries, many young learners have insufficient language proficiency for academic learning, with resultant flat learning trajectories (Taylor & Von Fintel 2016:75; Wildschut, Moodley & Aronstam 2016:2). Using the first language (L1) as the language of instruction is preferable since second language (L2) learners often have insufficient vocabulary knowledge and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) to learn successfully in the L2 (Webb, Lafon & Pare 2010:284; Wildschut et al 2016:2). For 65.3% of South African school learners, English language of learning and teaching (ELoLT) is preferred. Receive instruction in their L2 (Howie et al 2012:9; Taylor & Von Fintel 2016:76). It is important to investigate foundational phonological awareness (PA), as well as speech perception skills to guide the development of effective intervention for EL2 learners to facilitate optimal literacy acquisition

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion