Neural Activation during Phonological Processing in Primary-School Children with Limited Reading Experience: Insights from Rural Côte d'Ivoire

Abstract

Phonological awareness (PA) is an important predictor and outcome of reading. Yet, little is known about the reciprocal relation between PA and reading across development without consistent reading experience (e.g., as a result of limited access to quality education and late enrolment in school). We tested the hypothesis that variable reading experience in childhood influences neural activation in regions involved in language and reading processing—left frontal and temporoparietal cortex. Sixty-nine primary-school children (Mage = 10.4) from rural low-literacy communities in Côte d'Ivoire completed a PA task while undergoing functional near-infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging (fNIRS) neuroimaging and a reading battery. We observed differences in left inferior frontal and bilateral temporoparietal activation for younger versus older children with similar reading skills, suggesting neural activations for phonological processing depends on the age when children have reading experience. Without consistent access to quality education, children may miss out on reciprocal interactions between phonological processing and reading shaping language processing in the brain.