Exploring the Role of Language and Other Cognitive Demands in Phonological Awareness Assessments

• In Event: Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: Assessing Children's Physical, Language, and Cognitive Development and School Readiness

Abstract

This study involves a critical examination of phonological awareness (PA) assessments used in early childhood programs. The purpose was to begin the follow up research that is needed to further examine the relations between expressive and receptive vocabulary and phonological awareness (i.e., theory of lexical reorganization) (Author, in press). The results suggest that the PA items included in the popular assessments vary considerably in language demands (receptive/expressive-level knowledge required), cognitive demands (e.g., memory or motor demands) and/or response mode (verbal/non-verbal, pointing or clapping). Thus, the complexity of the PA tasks may be unexpectedly increased or decreased depending on the amount and type of support provided. This result may have implications the assessment/ instruction in PA for young children.

Authors

• Christina Cassano, Salem State University

• Lilly Steiner, Monmouth University