Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analyze the efficacy of the Phonological Awareness Digital Program (PADP) in typically developing preschool children aged 4 to 6 years. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with a total of 49 children assigned to two groups: the experimental group, EG (n=25) and the delayed control group, CG (n=24). Both groups were assessed before and after the implementation of the PADP. A follow-up study for the experimental group was also performed after two months. Outcome measures of phonological awareness skills (task 1: Syllable segmentation task; task 2: Syllable identification task; task3: Syllable omission task; task 4: Onset-rime units segmentation task; task 5: Phoneme segmentation task; task 6: Phoneme blending task) were evaluated at three separate moments.
 The results showed significant improvement in phonological awareness skills for the EG between the first and the second assessments for all the tasks considered. Between the second and third assessment, the results showed a significant improvement for the CG.
 The follow-up study also demonstrated the PADP’s efficacy. The PADP has shown to be an effective program in promoting the development of phonological awareness in children. These findings provide evidence for different professionals to use PADP with preschool children. 
Highlights
The present study was undertaken to analyze the effectiveness of the Phonological Awareness Digital Program, and it was seen as a useful tool for different professionals working on phonological awareness (PA) in preschool children
These results are supported by the experimental group, after the Phonological Awareness Digital Program (PADP) implementation, showing a significant improvement over a control group, which was not a target of this program’s implementation
When the PADP was implemented in the control group (CG), the results were identical to the ones obtained by the experimental group (EG)
Summary
The development of phonological awareness (PA) in preschool children has received growing academic interest, as PA is one of the important predictors of literacy development (Bradley & Bryant, 1983; Carroll, Snowling, Hulme, & Stevenson, 2003; Ehri, 1989; Goswami & Bryant, 1990; Liberman, Shankweiler, & Liberman, 1990; Lukatela, Carello, Shankweiler, & Liberman, 1995; Mann & Liberman, 1984; Rack, Hulme, Snowling, & Wightman, 1994; Share, 2004; Wagner & Torgesen, 1987). 12 (1), e74552, 2022 dren develop awareness that words are made up of smaller units, phonemes, and that they come together to form words, promoting the child’s ability to read and form words (Fernandes, 2011). Children who have the ability to manipulate and reflect on phonemes will find it easier to develop reading and writing (Correia, 2010; Fernandes, 2011)
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