Improving reading and writing learning in underprivileged pluri-ethnic settings

Area of Science:

• Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Linguistics

Background:

• First-language studies show metaphonological and active story listening programs benefit reading and spelling.
• These programs focus on developing metaphonological abilities and language skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• Extend research to second-language learners in plurilingual schools.
• Implement training integrating realistic literacy, active problem-solving, and targeted strategies.

Main Methods:

• 202 first-grade students in underprivileged, pluri-ethnic schools participated.
• Three groups: control (typical instruction), experimental 1 (metaphonological development), experimental 2 (language skills via story listening).
• Pre- and post-intervention assessments included metaphonological, pre-reading, word recognition, comprehension, and spelling tasks.

Main Results:

• Metaphonological development (DMPA) group outperformed controls in metaphonological skills and word recognition.
• DMPA group showed superior word spelling compared to control and language skills (DLS) groups.
• DLS group demonstrated significantly better word recognition than the control group.

Conclusions:

• Metaphonological and language skills development positively impact word reading in diverse first-graders.
• Metaphonological development is more effective for improving word spelling abilities.
• Further research is needed to understand the lack of impact on narrative text comprehension.