Abstract
Children of immigrant families often have great difficulties with language and disadvantages in schooling. Phonological problems appear especially common. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine whether music training has a positive effect on the phonological awareness in these children. The effects of a music program were compared with an established phonological skills program and with a sports control group. Preschoolers of immigrants (19 boys, 20 girls) were randomly assigned to one of the three groups. All groups were trained three times a week for 20 min each, over a period of 14 weeks. Phonological awareness was tested prior to the beginning of the training and after the training phase. At the pre-test, no differences between the groups were found regarding phonological awareness and control variables (age, gender, intelligence, socioeconomic status, language background, music experience). At the post-test, the music group and the phonological skills group showed a significant increase in phonological awareness of large phonological units. The effect size of the music training was larger compared to the phonological skills program. In contrast, the sports control group showed no significant increase in phonological awareness. The current results indicate that a music program could be used as an additional opportunity to promote phonological skills in children of immigrant families.
Highlights
Empirical evidence indicates that phonological awareness is an important and reliable predictor of later reading and writing ability (Bus and van Ijzendoorn, 1999; Hartmann and Kessler, 2002; Küspert and Schneider, 2003; Marx et al, 2005)
The results indicated that the music program had a positive effect on phonological awareness in 5- to 6-year-old preschoolers
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a music program on phonological awareness in preschoolers from immigrant families
Summary
Empirical evidence indicates that phonological awareness is an important and reliable predictor of later reading and writing ability (Bus and van Ijzendoorn, 1999; Hartmann and Kessler, 2002; Küspert and Schneider, 2003; Marx et al, 2005). For children of immigrant families, the acquisition of phonological awareness of a second language is an enormous challenge (Baumert and Schümer, 2001; TriarchiHerrmann, 2006; Marx, 2007). This leads to language difficulties that, in turn, can lead to school problems (Schwippert and Schnabel, 2000; Schwippert et al, 2003; Grimm and Aktas, 2004). Several well-established programs do exist to enhance phonological awareness (e.g., Küspert and Schneider, 2003). In addition to these programs, music training could support
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
