Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners
The relationship between phonological skills and reading has not been studied extensively in the African languages spoken in South Africa. This study focuses on phonological skills and reading in emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners. Fifty Grade 3 learners (all native speakers of North...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Afrikaans |
| Published: |
Stellenbosch University
2013-12-01
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| Series: | Per Linguam : A Journal of Language Learning |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/554 |
| _version_ | 1818164022521888768 |
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| author | Wilsenach, Carien |
| author_facet | Wilsenach, Carien |
| author_sort | Wilsenach, Carien |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The relationship between phonological skills and reading has not been studied extensively in the African languages spoken in South Africa. This study focuses on phonological skills and reading in emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners. Fifty Grade 3 learners (all native speakers of Northern Sotho) were tested on non-word repetition skills, syllable awareness, phonological working memory and reading. The learners fell into two groups: group 1 attended a school where English was the medium of instruction from the first grade, while group 2 attended a school where literacy instruction took place in Northern Sotho for the first three years of schooling. The results indicate that there is a significant correlation between phonological skills and reading in Northern Sotho. Furthermore, group 2 performed significantly better on all of the phonological measures (with the exception of phonological working memory) and reading measures. The findings suggest that a complete lack of mother tongue instruction can influence phonological and literacy development negatively. The study also suggests that the absence of mother tongue literacy instruction causes stagnation in the development of phonological processing skills in the mother tongue. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:58:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-43127f9bbada4ebc80688e3658e6e971 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0259-2312 2224-0012 |
| language | Afrikaans |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T16:58:51Z |
| publishDate | 2013-12-01 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Per Linguam : A Journal of Language Learning |
| spelling | doaj.art-43127f9bbada4ebc80688e3658e6e9712022-12-22T00:57:53ZafrStellenbosch UniversityPer Linguam : A Journal of Language Learning0259-23122224-00122013-12-01292173210.5785/29-2-554Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learnersWilsenach, Carien 0University of South AfricaThe relationship between phonological skills and reading has not been studied extensively in the African languages spoken in South Africa. This study focuses on phonological skills and reading in emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners. Fifty Grade 3 learners (all native speakers of Northern Sotho) were tested on non-word repetition skills, syllable awareness, phonological working memory and reading. The learners fell into two groups: group 1 attended a school where English was the medium of instruction from the first grade, while group 2 attended a school where literacy instruction took place in Northern Sotho for the first three years of schooling. The results indicate that there is a significant correlation between phonological skills and reading in Northern Sotho. Furthermore, group 2 performed significantly better on all of the phonological measures (with the exception of phonological working memory) and reading measures. The findings suggest that a complete lack of mother tongue instruction can influence phonological and literacy development negatively. The study also suggests that the absence of mother tongue literacy instruction causes stagnation in the development of phonological processing skills in the mother tongue.http://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/554Phonological skills and readingliteracy developmentNorthern SothoEnglish learners |
| spellingShingle | Wilsenach, Carien Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners Per Linguam : A Journal of Language Learning Phonological skills and reading literacy development Northern Sotho English learners |
| title | Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners |
| title_full | Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners |
| title_fullStr | Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners |
| title_short | Phonological skills as predictor of reading success: An investigation of emergent bilingual Northern Sotho/English learners |
| title_sort | phonological skills as predictor of reading success an investigation of emergent bilingual northern sotho english learners |
| topic | Phonological skills and reading literacy development Northern Sotho English learners |
| url | http://perlinguam.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/554 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wilsenachcarien phonologicalskillsaspredictorofreadingsuccessaninvestigationofemergentbilingualnorthernsothoenglishlearners |