TY - JOUR
T1 - Predicting individual differences in early literacy acquisition in German
T2 - The role of speech and language processing skills and letter knowledge
AU - Fricke, Silke
AU - Szczerbinski, Marcin
AU - Stackhouse, Joy
AU - Fox-Boyer, Annette V.
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - International research findings have repeatedly confirmed the significance of speech and language processing skills and letter knowledge for successful literacy acquisition. However, the importance of these skills for early literacy success in German speakers remains uncertain. The present longitudinal study aimed to explore this issue. Sixty-nine German-speaking children were assessed in nursery a few months before starting school (mean age 5;11) and in Grade 1 (mean age 6;11) with tests of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, expressive vocabulary, grammar comprehension, letter knowledge, and nonverbal reasoning. Grade 1 assessments also included measures of reading accuracy, speed, comprehension, and spelling. The results confirmed that speech and language processing skills and letter knowledge before and around the time of school enrolment explain individual differences in early literacy development, with letter knowledge and phonological awareness emerging as most important predictors. No variance in literacy performance was uniquely predicted by nonverbal reasoning.
AB - International research findings have repeatedly confirmed the significance of speech and language processing skills and letter knowledge for successful literacy acquisition. However, the importance of these skills for early literacy success in German speakers remains uncertain. The present longitudinal study aimed to explore this issue. Sixty-nine German-speaking children were assessed in nursery a few months before starting school (mean age 5;11) and in Grade 1 (mean age 6;11) with tests of phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming, expressive vocabulary, grammar comprehension, letter knowledge, and nonverbal reasoning. Grade 1 assessments also included measures of reading accuracy, speed, comprehension, and spelling. The results confirmed that speech and language processing skills and letter knowledge before and around the time of school enrolment explain individual differences in early literacy development, with letter knowledge and phonological awareness emerging as most important predictors. No variance in literacy performance was uniquely predicted by nonverbal reasoning.
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/77950747819
U2 - 10.1075/wll.11.2.02fri
DO - 10.1075/wll.11.2.02fri
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:77950747819
SN - 1387-6732
VL - 11
SP - 103
EP - 146
JO - Written Language and Literacy
JF - Written Language and Literacy
IS - 2
ER -
