Phonological awareness has no direct effect on higher-order QNC (Level II and above) or Grade 3 math achievement once QNC skills are modeled, confirming the isolated number-words hypothesis¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r2 · q3
Currency · newest study 2009 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? After controlling for its impact on basic numerical skills, phonological awareness did not directly predict higher-level QNC or Grade 3 mathematics achievement. → Krajewski 2009

Evidence¶

Krajewski 2009¶

Krajewski, K., & Schneider, W. (2009). Exploring the impact of phonological awareness, visual-spatial working memory, and preschool quantity-number competencies on mathematics achievement in elementary school: Findings from a 3-year longitudinal study. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 103(4), 516-531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jecp.2009.03.009

q3 · i? · associational · r2

In the initial structural equation model of the 3-year longitudinal study, phonological awareness's path to Grade 3 math (DEMAT 2+) was non-significant ( = -.10, p > .05) once QNC skills were included; its path to QNC Level II/III was also non-significant ( = .13, p > .05).

"Neither visual-spatial sketch pad ( = -.00, p > .05), nor phonological awareness ( = -.10, p > .05) contributed significantly to the prediction of Grade 3 math performance when QNC skills were included in the model."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Phonological Awareness — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• Visual-spatial working memory predicts higher-order QNC (Level II/III) but not basic numerical skills, and is linked to Grade 3 math only indirectly — related
• QNC Level I predicts QNC Level II/III, which in turn predicts Grade 3 mathematics achievement; QNC Level I also retains a direct path to Grade 3 math — related
• Kindergarten phonological awareness explains about 34% of the variance in basic numerical skills (QNC Level I) one year later — related
• Phonological awareness and verbal working memory are the most consistently unique domain general predictors of grade 1 math outcomes — reports the opposite
• Previous domain knowledge accounts for most of the variance in later achievement, considerably reducing the predictive impact of IQ and WM — a broader claim this one bears on
• Phonological awareness at age 4–5 does not predict later arithmetic skills despite being predicted by early oral language — related