Evaluating Phonological Skills in Adult ESOL Learners

Abstract

Research in the field of learning difficulties indicates that weaknesses in phonological skills (the ability to perceive, process, and manipulate the sounds of a language) are highly associated with learning difficulties in children who are learning to read (Botzung, 2003; Shaywitz, 2003). Similarly, many studies indicate that phonological skills have an impact on foreign or other language learning in children in much the same way as they do in first language.  Strengths in phonological skills correlate strongly with children’s success in learning a foreign or second language (e.g.Geva, 2002; Papagno, Valentine & Baddeley, 1991), while weaknesses in phonological skills are associated with reading and other difficulties in children learning to speak, read and write a language other than their dominant one (Goswami, 2002).  Recent studies with adult learners and their process of becoming literate in languages other than English indicate that the correlation of phonological skills with learners’ success or lack of success in learning to speak, understand or read in their native languge is similar to that in children (Jimenez & Venegas, 2004; Royer, Abadzi & Kinda, 2004). To increase understanding of the role of phonological skills in the learning of adult learners of English, twenty-nine learners at five sites in Texas were evaluated using a screening tool adapted from commercially available tests of phonological processing skills.  Results indicate that, as expected, learners with higher levels of literacy generally have stronger phonological skills in English than those with lower literacy, but low literacy does not in itself predict weak phonological awareness, the skill supporting literacy. Repeating sentences was the most prominent weakness across factors such as levels of literacy, time in the US, time studying English and language background.   Theories are suggested for this finding.

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