Decreasing Reading Differences in Children from Disadvantaged Backgrounds: The Effects of an Early Literacy Intervention

• Published in: California school psychologist 2013, Vol.17 (1), p.103-117
• Main Authors: Hagans, Kristi S., Good, Roland H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Achievement Gains; Achievement Gap; At Risk Students; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Children; Children & youth; Control Groups; Critical literacy; Disability Identification; Disadvantaged; Early Intervention; Early literacy; Educational aspects; Educational Psychology; Educational Strategies; Elementary school students; Emergent Literacy; Experimental Groups; General Article; Grade 1; Grade 4; Handbooks; Kindergarten; Learning; Learning disabilities; Literacy; Low income groups; Mathematics Skills; Phonetics; Phonological Awareness; Phonology; Poverty; Preschool children; Preschool education; Preschool Teachers; Prevention; Program Effectiveness; Psychology; Reading; Reading ability; Reading Achievement; Reading comprehension; Reading Difficulties; Reading Skills; Reading Tests; Rhyme; Skills; Social aspects; Socially handicapped children; Socioeconomic Background; Socioeconomic factors; Special education; Teacher attitudes; Teachers; Teaching
• ISSN: 2159-2020; 2161-1505
• DOI: 10.1007/BF03340992

Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds (SES) are at increased risk of reading problems. Although phonological awareness consistently emerges as a critical literacy skill for children, little research exists regarding the effects of the acquisition of phonological awareness skills on decreasing the reading achievement gap between children of different SES levels. In this study, 50 first graders from low SES backgrounds were randomly assigned to receivelO weeks of phonological awareness intervention or a control condition. In addition, 25 first graders from middle-high SES backgrounds served as a comparison group. A significant difference in phonological awareness skills was found between children in the low SES intervention group who received the phonological awareness intervention and similar children in the control group who did not receive the intervention. Reading skill differences between the low SES intervention and control groups were found at follow-up 24 weeks later but not immediately following intervention. Although the gap in reading skills of children from the low SES intervention group and the middle-high SES comparison group decreased, reading differences remained. Implications of findings with regard to prevention and identification of children at-risk for reading difficulties, as well as planning and implementing early literacy intervention for children from disadvantaged backgrounds are provided.