Engels addisionele taalleerders : ondersteuning vir fonologiese bewustheidsuitvalle

Abstract

PURPOSE: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of an auditory perceptual training programme on children within a traditional articulation therapy framework. As part of this larger purpose, this study identified perceptual vowel outcomes for English Additional Language (EAL) learners, as well as a preliminary impact on these learners’ articulation of English vowels, their receptive and expressive language abilities and their reading and spelling abilities. METHOD: Fourteen six- to seven-year-old EAL learners were randomly assigned to two conditions. Both the control and treatment groups were initially assessed with a repeated baseline assessment, and again after treatment eight months later. Auditory perceptual skills, specifically word discrimination (including vowel and consonant discrimination), phonological segmentation and blending, number memory and sentence memory, were measured by means of the Test of Auditory- Perceptual Skills Third Edition (TAPS-3). Children’s growth in receptive language was also assessed using measures derived from the Test for Auditory Comprehension of Language Third Edition (TACL-3). The number of vowel production errors on the Goldman-Fristoe Test for Articulation was measured before and after treatment. The control group received no treatment; the treatment group received auditory perceptual training (grapheme-phoneme coupling and vowel discrimination) which included production training and written exercises (phonemegrapheme coupling). RESULTS: The framework of teaching English vowels through traditional auditory perceptual and production training proved useful for phonological awareness of vowels, literacy teaching and articulation by the EAL learners. CONCLUSIONS: Results concluded that improved academic outcomes should be possible if the teaching of English vowels to EAL learners by EFL speech-language therapists is implemented. Improved auditory perception, articulator production and general language abilities culminate in improved academic outcomes.

DOEL: Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die effek van ʼn fonologiese bewustheidsopleidingsprogram, binne die raamwerk van tradisionele artikulasieterapie, op leerders met Engels as addisionele taal te ondersoek. As deel van hierdie groter doelwit, is die resultate van die opleidingsprogram op die ouditiewe persepsie van Engelse vokale deur leerders met Engels as addisionele taal bepaal. Die voorlopige invloed van die opleidingsprogram op hierdie leerders se artikulasie van Engelse vokale, reseptiewe en ekspressiewe taalvaardighede en lees- en spelvaardighede is ook ondersoek. RESULTATE: Die tradisionele artikulasieterapie-raamwerk waarbinne Engelse vokale van die leerders met Engels as addisionele taal deur middel van die opleidingsprogram aangespreek is, het ʼn positiewe invloed op hierdie leerders se fonologiese bewustheid van Engelse vokale, geletterdheidsonderrig en artikulasie van dié vokale gehad.