The Relationship between English and Persian Phonological Awareness, Rapid Autamatized Naming and Students’ Reading Achievement in Partial Immersion and Non-Immersion Programs

Abstract

The cognitive predictors (i.e.,Phonological Awareness, and Rapid Automatized Naming) underlying reading achievement have not been researched in Iranian partial English immersion and non-immersion programs. The present study sought to investigate the relationship between English and Persian Phonological Awareness (PA), Rapid Autamatized Naming (RAN) and reading achievementof Iranian students in partial immersion and non-immersion programs. To this end, one hundred forty five students from three different grade levels in a partial English immersion program and 95 students from three different grade levels in a non-immersion program were chosen. Six different English and Persian tests were utilized (namely, the Cambridge English for Young Learners (YLE) test for Reading,the Persian reading achievement test, the English and Persian Phonological AwarenessSound Detection tests, and the English and Persian Rapid Automatized Naming Tests). Given the design of the study, a number of statistical tests were run. The main findingswere as follows: learners’ reading achievement could significantly be predicted through both English and Persian PA and RAN.Furthermore, learning English in a partial English immersion system improves learners’ reading achievement and cognitive predictors compared with non-immersion program. The findings suggest that by teaching learners PA and RAN skills, their reading achievement improves in both English and Persian.