How
does phonemic awareness affect reading comprehension?
Phonemic awareness relates to reading comprehension as it is
the first building block of the reading process, followed by phonics
instruction. It is most effective when students master phonemic awareness
skills by first grade. The results of the National Reading Panel’s study of
phonemic awareness instruction demonstrated that, “Teaching children to
manipulate phonemes in words was highly effective across all the literacy
domains and outcomes. Without being able to recognize individual sounds in
words, a reader is unable to sound out words. When the learner cannot decode
(or sound out) words, he or she will be unable to understand the words in the
text. If the reader does not know the words in the text, he or she will be
unable to create meaning, or comprehend what he or she is reading.
The National Reading Panel’s extensive research has found, “A
close relationship exists between fluency and reading comprehension. The conclusion
of The Panel’s meta-analysis of fluency indicates that guided oral reading
procedures have had, “A consistent, and positive impact on word recognition,
fluency, and comprehension,”.
Additionally, there is a common misconception that fluency is automatic
for students who have strong word-recognition skills. However, a study shows
that “success in decoding and reading largely depends upon the child’s phonological
processing skills,”. Researchers
indicate that automacy in word recognition is contingent upon phonemic
awareness and phonological processing skills.
The National Reading Panel recognizes that, “Fluency is a
critical component of skilled reading,”. After students have developed a basis
in phonemic awareness and phonics, they are able to read more fluently. The
National Reading Panel defines, “Fluent readers can read text with speed,
accuracy, and proper expression,”. Phonemic awareness leads to phonics, phonics
leads to fluency, and fluency leads to comprehension. Students can only accept
responsibility for one’s own reading development after mastering the first
building block of reading: phonemic awareness.
Phonemic
Awareness & Adolescence
According to the National Reading Panel, educators should focus
on teaching phoneme blending and phoneme segmentation to produce the most
effective results of phonemic awareness. Only after developing a strong
foundation of phonemic awareness can a reader successfully apply phonetic
principles to language to enable word decoding and encoding.
Failure to read successfully is a problem that persists
throughout adolescence. According to Royer, “Many adolescents and adults who
graduate from adult basic-education programs – so the thesis of the present study–
fail to attain automatic word recognition and therefore must expend
considerable effort to understand texts they are trying to read,”.
Overall, all the five elements of
reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and
comprehension—work together like the pieces of a puzzle. If one piece is
missing, the reader is unable to construct adequate, accurate meaning from the
text.
Enjoy,
Nora Sierra
EC Assistant Principal
Discovery School
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