Abstract
This purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between phonological awareness, verbal workingmemory, and risk for dyslexia in Arabic language in preschool children. The participants of this study werepreschool children between the ages of five and six, who represented two groups: (20) children at risk fordyslexia and (20) children normal without any risk for dyslexia. These children were randomly selected from alarger sample of 425 preschool children in Egypt. Phonological awareness and verbal working memory taskswere used to compare children's abilities. The findings indicate that there is a strong relationship betweenphonological awareness and working memory. In addition, phonological awareness and working memory mayhave an effect on children’s phonological sensitivity and reading skills.
Highlights
In this study the relationship between phonological awareness (PA) and working memory (WM) in Arabic-speaking preschool children in Egypt who are at risk for dyslexia, and their counterparts, was investigated
All children were screened with a battery of tests administered in Arabic including the DEST-2 in Arabic (Gilgil & Agag, 2011), the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC-III; Wechsler, 1997), a PA test (AbdElgawaad, 2005) that has been validated and tested for reliability, and the Working Memory Test Battery for Children (WMTB-C; Pickering & Gathercole, 2001)
The current findings indicate that PA plays a crucial role in the literacy development of Arabic-speaking preschoolers, as it does for English-speaking preschoolers (Anthony & Francis, 2005)
Summary
In this study the relationship between phonological awareness (PA) and working memory (WM) in Arabic-speaking preschool children in Egypt who are at risk for dyslexia, and their counterparts, was investigated. Studies considering the effect of WM on dyslexia have found that WM has a strong influence on the ability to read and spell in Arabic (Khalil & Dowah, 2007; Zayed, 2011). These studies did not investigate the theoretical relationship between WM and PA in combination for children in this population. The research questions were as follows: what is the relationship between PA and WM for Arabic-speaking preschoolers at risk for dyslexia compared to others? Do those at risk demonstrate poorer skills in terms of PA and WM?
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