Children’s Phonological Awareness as a Predictor of Reading and Spelling
A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Research in German-Speaking Countries
Abstract
Abstract. Numerous observational and experimental studies have shown that phonological awareness relates to reading and spelling. However, most studies were conducted in English-speaking countries, neglecting the issue of the generalizability of the findings across different orthographies. This meta-analysis focused exclusively on studies from German-speaking countries and explored how measures of phonological awareness relate longitudinally to reading and spelling. It summarized 19 manuscripts reporting the results of 21 independent studies. Results indicated a mean effect size of Zr = 0.318 (r = .308) for the relation between phonological awareness and later reading and spelling. Moderator analyses showed that phonological awareness on the rhyme level was less related to reading and spelling than phonological awareness on the phoneme level. Furthermore, the predictive power of phonological awareness remained substantial even for children beyond the second grade. The findings suggest that research on reading and spelling development should take into account the characteristics of German orthography.
Zusammenfassung. Zusammenhänge von phonologischer Bewusstheit mit der Lese- und Rechtschreibkompetenz konnten vielfach nachgewiesen werden. Dennoch ist ein deutlicher Überhang an Studien aus englischsprachigen Ländern zu erkennen. Die Frage der Generalisierbarkeit dieser Befunde für das Deutsche bleibt dabei unklar. Die vorliegende Meta-Analyse zur Frage der prädiktiven Bedeutsamkeit der phonologischen Bewusstheit für den Schriftspracherwerb fokussiert daher exklusiv auf empirische Arbeiten aus dem deutschen Sprachraum. Insgesamt wurden 19 Arbeiten, die Ergebnisse von 21 unabhängigen Studien berichten, zusammengefasst. Die Ergebnisse zeigen einen mittleren Effekt in Höhe von Zr = .318 (r = .308). Moderatoranalysen machen deutlich, dass die phonologische Bewusstheit im weiteren Sinne (Silben-bzw. Reimebene) weniger hoch mit den späteren Lese- und Rechtschreibfähigkeiten korreliert als die phonologische Bewusstheit im engeren Sinne (Phonemebene). Auch über die zweite Klassenstufe hinaus korreliert die phonologische Bewusstheit mit den schriftsprachlichen Kompetenzen. Die Ergebnisse deuten darauf hin, dass Charakteristika der deutschen Orthographie in der Forschung zum Schriftspracherwerb beachtet werden sollten.
References marked with an asterisk indicate studies included in the meta-analysis.
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