This thesis provides a literature review on various topics related to the aims of the research project. In the process of sketching the rationale of this study, the language-in-education policy (LiEP) of South Africa is examined. The reasons why this policy is not successful, is discussed. Emanating from this discussion, the low literacy scores amongst young learners in South Africa are described and possible reasons for this occurrence are cited (Howie, Van Staden, Tshele, Dowse, & Zimmerman, 2012). The hypothesis that perceptual and articulation training of the vowels of English would enhance young English second language (Setswana first language-speaking) learners? awareness of English vowels, is posited and defended by referring to previous research (Moats, 2007; Trehearne, 2011; Seeff-Gabriel, 2003). In addition, it is stated that increased knowledge of the vowel system of English will improve English second language (EL2) learners? literacy skills (Moats, 2007). In order to explain and discuss the results of the investigations into the literacy skills of the EL2 learners participating in this study, the notions of literacy acquisition, phonological awareness skills, and language acquisition and language learning are examined. The main aim of this study is to assess the effects of intervention on the auditory perception and articulatory skills of English second language-speaking (EL2) (Setswana L1-speaking) learners in Grade 3, in the production of the monophthongs and diphthongs of the standard variety of South African English, namely White South African English (WSAfE) (Bekker, 2009). The effects are determined by acoustically comparing the vowel spaces of the participants before and after intervention. Therefore, a discussion of acoustic concepts such as the vowel space and the parameters thereof are provided. In addition, the vowels of WSAfE, those of Black South African English (BSAE), and the vowels of Setswana are discussed and compared according to their acoustic features. The results of this quasi-experimental, comparative study indicate that the vowel spaces of the EL1 and EL2 participants differ markedly before intervention, especially when comparing those of the short and long monophthongs of English. After intervention, the vowel spaces of especially the Experimental group are seen to approximate those of the EL1 participants in the Norm group. Interesting findings concerning the central schwa vowels and the diphthongs were made. These indicate that young EL2 (Setswana L1-speaking) learners do not use BSAE, but use a new? variety of English that is closer to WSAfE (Mesthrie, 2008). Pertaining to the measurable sub-aims of this study, the phonological awareness skills and literacy skills of the participants are assessed and compared, before and after intervention. The improvement of the phonological awareness skills and literacy skills of the Experimental group, as well as the changes in the vowel spaces that are noted for this group, prove the hypothesis that intervention in the form of additional input concerning the English vowels will enhance second language learners? perception and articulation. This strengthens the opinion that second language learners need quality teaching of the sound system of the language of learning and teaching. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / African Languages / DPhil / Unrestricted

Att inneha fonologisk medvetenhet är grunden i att utveckla läsning. Fonologisk medvetenhet innebär förmågan att urskilja de ljud som finns representerade i språkets ljudsystem. Fonologisk medvetenhet har en underkategori som kallas fonemisk medvetenhet. Det innebär att barnet kan urskilja språkljud eller fonem i ett ord. För lärare i årskurs F–3 är det intressant att ta del av vilka undervisningsmetoder som lärare i förskoleklass använder för att främja fonologisk medvetenhet. Studien har en kognitiv utgångspunkt och resultaten analyseras efter modellen Phonological awareness intervention beyond the basics (Schuele & Boudreau, 2008). Studiens insamlade material består av fyra intervjuer med förskoleklasslärare. Intervjusvaren har tematiserats under rubrikerna undervisning, möjligheter och utmaningar. Resultatet visar att lärarna använder undervisningsmetoderna FonoMix och Läsresan, men komplettera med Bornholmsmodellen. Lärarna använder konkret material som stöd för att hjälpa eleverna att lära in språkljuden. Lärarna anser att deras fonologiska undervisning är positiv för nyanlända elever och elever med svårigheter att uttala språkljud. Slutsatsen är att undervisningsmetoderna ger ett bra underlag för undervisning inriktad på fonologisk medvetenhet. Som lärare bör man dock vara uppmärksam på att ingen dessa undervisningsmetoder är fonologiskt komplett, utan bör kombineras med andra metoder för att få en mer omfattande fonologisk undervisning.

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Phonemic awareness has been identified as an essential precursor to reading. Many children suffer from a condition called central auditory processing disorder. Students suffering from this disorder have difficulty distinguishing between phonemes. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness for developing phonemic awareness skills in early readers by using a computer program designed to enhance the phonemic awareness skills of students. During the 2001-2002 school year, students located at two Kingsport elementary schools were administered the Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills pretest and posttest. Based on the results of the pretest and posttest data, it was determined that there were no significant differences between students receiving the specialized phonemic awareness training as compared to a probabilistically equivalent group of students never having received the specialized phonemic awareness training.

The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is an additive benefit in training Emergent Literacy (EL) skills with typically developing preschoolers using a combined intervention approach, Dialogic Reading (DR) plus classroom Phonological Awareness (CL), than a single intervention approach providing only DR training. The study consisted of 8 preschoolers (5 DR+CL, 3 DR). The classroom PA training was conducted 3 times a week for 5 weeks for 20 minutes, using play-based activities. The DR training programs were held once a week for 5 weeks for 90 minutes teaching strategies that could be used in the home environment. The combined treatment group, DR + CL, demonstrated significant gains in pre-post performance on one of the pre-literacy test measures. The DR group alone demonstrated a pre-post difference that approached significance on one of the pre-literacy measures. No significant differences were obtained between the groups on the other test measures.

The purpose of this study was to determine what, if any, associations existed between the implementation of the Open Court Reading® program in kindergarten and students’ reading achievement on the Terra Nova standardized achievement test in the first grade. The study involved first-grade students who attended kindergarten in one school system in East Tennessee. Using a quantitative design, this study included the first-grade Terra Nova scores from 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. Scores obtained by first-grade students who did not receive Open Court Reading® in kindergarten (2001 and 2002) were compared with first-grade scores obtained by students who did receive Open Court Reading® in kindergarten (2003 and 2004). The study factored in gender, ethnicity, students receiving special education services, and Title I and nonTitle I status of the school attended. Reading Normal Curve Equivalent (NCE), vocabulary NCE, reading composite NCE, language NCE, and word analysis NCE scores from four years of Terra Nova scores were used in the analysis. t-tests for independent means and two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were employed to examine the information. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences. Based on the findings, implementing the Open Court Reading® program in kindergarten appears to have reduced learning gaps that often emerge in early grades when children are learning to read. The findings indicated that a positive relationship exists between participation in Open Court Reading® in kindergarten and test performance in first grade. From the two years of test data analyzed after the implementation of Open Court Reading® in kindergarten, learning gaps between females and males diminished; in some cases the males surpassed the females. Implementation of Open Court Reading® in kindergarten does not appear to reduce differences in test performance between non-minority and minority students. Students with special needs who are exposed to Open Court Reading® in kindergarten appear to perform higher on reading subtests in the first grade. According to the results of the reading, reading composite, and word analysis subtests, Title I students reduced the gap with nonTitle I students after they participated in the Open Court Reading® program in kindergarten.

Concerns among educators continue to grow with the increased enrollment of Second Language Learners (SLL) in classrooms throughout the United States. This influx has stressed the boundaries of current methods of literacy instruction, which are not designed to meet the needs of these at-risk students. Literacy instructional methods need to be remediated through early intervention, followed by effective literacy instruction that is designed to meet the specific needs of SLL. Effective literacy instruction overcomes differences in culture and background by using meaning-based instruction coupled with engaging and varied contexts. This study evaluated the effectiveness of incorporating meaning-based instructional activities into a two-way bilingual kindergarten classroom. The instruction, Systematic and Engaging Early Literary Instruction (SEEL), is designed to explicitly instruct at-risk children in the acquisition of early reading skills. Specifically, the study assessed the effectiveness of SEEL instruction by comparing a classroom of children who received SEEL instruction with a classroom of children receiving other supplemental literacy supports.

The purpose of this study was to determine if three different tests of phonological awareness: the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processes (CTOPP) (Wagner, Torgesen, & Rashotte, 1999), The Phonological Awareness Test (PAT) (Robertson & Salter, 1997), and the Pre-Literacy Skills Screening (PLSS) (Crumrine & Lonegan, 1999) measure the same phonological awareness skills (content) in the same manner (procedures) and, whether typically-developing kindergarten-age students perform similarly on each of the tests. Twenty-five kindergarten students consisting of 14 males and 11 females (mean CA of 72.24 months) participated in this study. All participants were attending the second half of kindergarten in a public school in Orlando, Florida. Prior to the administration of the three tools, all participants were administered the Fluharty Preschool Speech and Language Screening Test - Second Edition (Fluharty-2) (Fluharty, 2001) to ensure that no formal speech and/or language assessment was needed. A comparison of the CTOPP, PAT, and PLSS revealed that the PAT and CTOPP produced similar outcomes. That is, participants who performed well on one tool also did well on the other. Results of this study have shown that tasks on these two tools are comparable measures of phonological awareness known to strongly predict future reading ability. However, when the PLSS was compared to either the CTOPP or PAT, similar outcomes were not obtained. Three participants were identified "at risk" for reading disability on the PLSS. No participants were identified "at risk" on either the CTOPP or PAT. Using a standardized battery to identify children "at-risk" for reading failure and planning intervention may be more advantageous than using a screening measure like the PLSS. Even though it will take more time to complete, a comprehensive assessment battery may be of more value to the clinician. A summary, possible limitations of study, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Children with communication disorders are often at risk of literacy difficulties, especially students that present with autism and/or speech sound disorders. This quasi-experimental study was designed to examine the effects of a 10-week "hybrid" intervention for preschool students with and without communication disorders in an integrated classroom. The classroom intervention targets both vocabulary and phonological awareness, two critical components of literacy that are strongly correlated with one another. The objectives of this study were (1) to provide empirical evidence that classroom-based pre-literacy intervention can be effective for students with communication disabilities, allowing for more time with their peers in a potentially least-restrictive environment and (2) to demonstrate that typically-developing preschool children also benefit from classroom-based pre-literacy training.

Students at risk for reading difficulties often display skills deficits in basic reading skills (e.g., phonological awareness or PA, fluency, and comprehension). Phonological awareness instruction (PAI) and scaffolded instruction have been effective in improving reading skills for all students (National Reading Council, 1998). In relation, Reading to Read (RTR), a remedial reading program based on the methods of applied behavior analysis, direct instruction, and curriculum-based assessment, has been found to improve oral reading fluency and comprehension (e.g., Edwards, Tingstrom, & Cottingham, 1993; Tingstrom, Edwards, & Olmi, 1995). Despite the effectiveness of PAI and RTR in isolation, little research has been conducted to determine effectiveness of PAI and scaffolding combined with the RTR intervention. The purpose of this study was to investigate effectiveness of using PAI in combination with RTR as another instructional method for increasing reading fluency and comprehension. Participants included 5 elementary-aged students who have a special education diagnosis and are from rural southeastern region of the U.S. Data were collected using a single-subject research methodology and included correct words per minute (CWPM), errors per minute (EPM), and percent correct comprehension in all phases for all intervention conditions: (a) PAI, (b) RTR, and (c) PAI + RTR. Data were analyzed using visual inspection or graphical representation assessed by level, trend, and variability around level and trend between the different interventions as it relates to CWPM, EPM, and percent correct comprehension. When examining reading fluency, 1 of the 5 students who received the PAI + RTR interventions improved in reading fluency from baseline to intervention. When examining reading comprehension, all students demonstrated little to no change in percent correct comprehension questions across all conditions and phases. Implications, limitations, and future research relating to the results of this study are also discussed.