Susanna Yeung

Hi Everyone. Below is the summary of my research.

Phonological awareness instruction which involves teaching how to perceive and manipulate speech sounds within words has been widely demonstrated as effective in facilitating reading acquisition for children in various alphabetic writing systems. These studies provide evidence for a causal role of phonological awareness in reading development. There is also some Initial evidence indicating that phonological awareness instruction is also effective for English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learners with an alphabetical language as their first language. However, little attempt has been devoted to investigate the effects of phonological awareness instruction in enhancing reading acquisition in Chinese ESL children. The aim of the present study is to systematically examine the effects of phonological awareness instruction in helping Chinese ESL learner to acquire English reading ability. The study adopts a quasi-experimental approach in which gains in reading, cognitive, and language measures between groups of preschool children with and without undergoing an explicit instruction in phonological awareness are investigated. The present study has theoretical and educational significance for understanding the role of phonological awareness in young Chinese ESL children’s reading development.