Does Knowing the Word Matter for Preschool DLLs? Individualized Vocabulary Words on Phonological Awareness Performance

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam

Within-subjects experimental research examines how word familiarity affects phonological awareness performance in 93 dual language preschoolers. A researcher-designed digital tool generated individualized phoneme-level tasks using three-phoneme words, pairing target responses containing either familiar or unfamiliar vocabulary. Findings indicate that unknown or unfamiliar target words lead to lower phonological awareness scores. The study addresses how assessment design that accounts for vocabulary familiarity may change conclusions for teaching and intervention planning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Dual Language Learners: Early Learning Contexts in the United States

Phonological Awareness and Vocabulary in Early Literacy Acquisition

AERA Open January-December 2024, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 1–11 DOI: 10. 1177/23328584241267929 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)© The Author(s) 2024. [https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero](https://journals.sagepub.com/home/ero) Does Knowing the Word Matter for Preschool DLLS? Individualized Vocabulary Words on Phonological Awareness Performance Kathleen A. Paciga Columbia College Chicago Christina M. Cassano Salem State University Early literacy assessment has become commonplace in the preschool years, with phonological awareness constituting one component of emergent literacy targeted by such practices. This within-subjects experimental study examines the role of word familiarity on 93 dual language preschoolers’performance on phoneme-level awareness tasks in three-phoneme words. A researcher-designed digital tool created individualized test items (foils and target responses) for each child. Half of the items presented target responses that contained familiar words, and half contained unfamiliar words. Results suggest unknown/ unfamiliar target words yield lower phonological awareness performance scores. Keywords: early literacy, dual language learners, assessment, phonological awareness, vocabulary Introduction Learning to read is one of the essential goals of early education across the world. In order to read, children need to have emerging and developing skills in of a number of essential areas—vocabulary, print awareness, alphabet/letter knowledge, and phonological awareness (PA)—in the language of instruction. Assessment is commonly used in early learning contexts to establish baseline and incremental estimations of children’s skills in each of these areas. Teachers then leverage these results as they plan for instruction, to grow children’s literacy skills across the academic year. This study emerged as part of a series of investigations (Cassano & Steiner, 2016; Sckaal et al., 2023) examining early literacy teaching and assessment practices in Head Start contexts, where many dual language learning preschoolers were enrolled. Work in these Head Start contexts revealed an anecdotal trend: Many of the dual language learners (DLLs) were less frequently successful in identifying (i.e., naming) picture cards used for PA assessment and instruction in the language of instruction than their monolingual peers. On the surface, this trend was not surprising (DLLs are working on learning vocabulary in two languages, after all) . But teachers drew conclusions about and planned interventions for so many DLLs’ PA skills based on an assessment that used picture cards for words unfamiliar to many children. We wondered, to what extent was a child’sword familiarity entangled with their PA performance? Might an assessment that controls for word familiarity yield results different from an assessment that does not implement such controls? The aim of this study was to explore these phenomena. Dual Language Learners: Early Learning Contexts in the United States National estimates indicate there is a growing population of preschool-aged DLLs, that is, young children who have a home language other than English and are learning two or more languages simultaneously or learning a second language (L2) while continuing to develop their first (L1) (McFarland et al., 2018) . As a result, increasing numbers of children are beginning preschool and kindergarten with comparatively less English language exposure than their monolingual peers. DLLs, particularly those who are first exposed to English upon preschool entry, are faced with the complex task of acquiring essential literacy and language skills while simultaneously learning the language of instruction. Early childhood education programs must be prepared to provide DLLs with the individualized supports necessary to develop a strong language and literacy foundations essential f

FAQs

What is the main question of the study?

The study asks whether a child’s word familiarity is intertwined with phonological awareness performance, and whether controlling for word familiarity changes assessment results for dual language learners.

How was word familiarity manipulated in the assessment?

A digital tool created individualized test items where half of the target responses contained familiar words and half contained unfamiliar words in three-phoneme words.

What do the results suggest about unfamiliar words?

Unknown or unfamiliar target words yield lower phonological awareness performance scores among the participating dual language preschoolers.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Adam