Initial phonological awareness uniquely predicts growth in letter-name knowledge, most strongly via elision skill¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3 · i3 large
Currency · newest study 2016 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i3 Growth in letter-name knowledge was uniquely predicted by higher initial composite phonological awareness, with elision the strongest individual factor (β = .41, p < .001). → Lerner Matthew D. 2016

Evidence¶

Lerner Matthew D. 2016¶

Lerner Matthew D., Lonigan Christopher J. (2016). Bidirectional Relations between Phonological Awareness and Letter Knowledge in Preschool Revisited: A Growth Curve Analysis of the Relation between Two Code-Related Skills. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2015.09.023

q3 · i3 · associational · r2

Predictive growth models of 358 preschoolers tested initial phonological awareness and vocabulary as predictors of letter-name knowledge growth, controlling for age and initial letter-name knowledge. The article reports growth "was uniquely predicted by higher initial composite phonological awareness" with the Elision factor strongest (β = .41, p < .001).

"Growth in letter-name knowledge was uniquely predicted by higher initial composite phonological awareness but not by age or vocabulary. Follow-up analyses indicated that growth in letter-name knowledge was most strongly predicted by initial status on the Elision factor (β = .41, p < .001)"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Alphabet Knowledge and Print Awareness — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes
• Phonological Awareness — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• The bidirectional relation between letter-name knowledge and phonological awareness was independent of maturation and correlated developmental trajectories — a broader claim this one bears on
• Children with higher initial letter-name knowledge show faster growth in phonological awareness across the preschool year — related
• Initial letter-sound knowledge and phonological awareness were not uniquely related to growth in each other — related
• The bidirectional letter-knowledge–phonological-awareness relation extends to supra-phonemic tasks, indicating an earlier developmental origin than previously reported — related
• Initial level and growth were negatively related within phonological awareness and letter-name knowledge, consistent with a compensatory pattern — related
• Children use letter-name knowledge as a shortcut when inventing phonologically based spellings — related