Effect of a phonological awareness stimulation program in preschoolers: rhyme and segmentation sensitivity.

Abstract

Objective: Phonological awareness is a metalinguistic ability that allows understanding the structure of the oral language, manipulating, and recognizing the speech’s basic phonological elements. Several studies have shown the importance of phonological awareness stimulation in preschoolers to improve their initials reading skills. However, all stimulation programs reported in the literature have been designed for schoolers. This study was aimed to evaluate the usefulness of stimulation program for rhyme and segmentation sensitivity in preschool children. Method: The sample consisted of 69 children aged between 3 and 4 years old assisting to a Kindergarten in Barranquilla, Colombia. Children was randomly assigned to 3 groups (2 stimulations and 1 in waiting list). Stimulation program was carried out in sessions of 1.5 hours twice a week, for nine months. Results: Show there was an increase in the segmentation abilities in groups that received stimulation. This increment was even present after the stimulation was removed. Conclusions: The usefulness of the stimulation program highlights the importance of including stimulation of the phonological conscience abilities in educational contexts.