Enhancing Phonemic Awareness: Motivating Hispanic Children through Read Aloud Strategies

• Published in: The international journal of literacies 2013, Vol.19 (2), p.75-85
• Main Authors: Whitacre, Michael, Almaguer, Isela, Medrano, Hilda, Bonilla, Adriana
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Academic Failure; Hispanic people; Kindergarten; Kindergarten students; Learning Problems; Phonemic Awareness; Phonemics; Phonology; Reading; Reading Ability; Reading Achievement; Reading Improvement; Reading Instruction
• ISSN: 2327-0136; 2327-266X
• DOI: 10.18848/2327-0136/CGP/v19i02/48775

Children who are considered to be at risk of school failure often have difficulty learning to read (Loeb, Gillam, Hoffman, Brandel, and Marquis, 2009). Berg and Stegelman (2003) reported “the acquisition of phonemic awareness is the result of instruction, and not age or maturation” (p. 49 - 50). There is a strong relationship between phonemic awareness and reading achievement (Yopp, 1991). This study demonstrated that using read aloud strategies had a positive impact on motivation and learning, developing phonemic awareness, and fostering reading abilities and interest in Hispanic pre-kindergarten students along the Texas - Mexico border. Read aloud strategies were consistently used over a five-month period with twenty-four (24) Hispanic pre-kindergarten students. The findings indicated that their reading abilities, motivation, and interest improved significantly. The twenty-four students were able to reach a higher level of phonemic awareness in language, a strong pre-requisite for success in future reading achievement. Moreover, students were highly motivated to participate in reading activities and began to see themselves as readers.