How much PA instruction is just right?
Findings from a recent meta-analysis
Compiled by Robyn Monaghan, Speech Pathologist
One crucial component of early reading instruction is phonemic awareness (PA), which refers to the ability to recognise and manipulate sounds in spoken words. While there is consensus around the importance of building PA in young readers, the question of how much PA instruction is optimal has remained. A 2024 meta-analysis by Florina Erbeli and colleagues sheds new light on this question.
The study sought to understand the association between the optimal cumulative dosage of PA instruction and PA instruction effectiveness. Put simply, how much PA instruction is ‘just right’.
Before discussing the results, it is important to understand that studies included in this meta-analysis are measuring gains in PA skills, not gains in reading acquisition more broadly.
The ‘sweet spot’ for phonemic awareness instruction
The study, which synthesised data from 16 primary studies involving over 1,100 preschool to first-grade students, found that PA instruction improves phonemic awareness up to a certain point.
Specifically, the researchers discovered that the most effective "dosage" of oral PA instruction peaks at about 10.2 hours. Beyond this point, additional oral PA instruction declines in effectiveness.
In comparison, the analysis identified increasing returns for PA instruction with letters after 16.1 hours of PA instruction.
These findings have implications in terms of the style and duration of PA instruction, particularly in a whole class setting.
Implications for instruction and intervention
The benefit of PA instruction in early reading development is clearly recognised in this meta-analysis, with the proviso that there is a limit to that benefit when PA is restricted to a purely oral task, as opposed to PA tasks that include letters.
One interpretation of the pattern of findings, which shows a transition from oral PA instruction to PA instructions with letters, may be as follows. As a students' phonemic and phonological representations become further refined with PA instruction and exposure to orthography, the student needs time to master letter-sound knowledge. Once they show progress in mastering letter-sound links, the inclusion of letters appears to accelerate the process of acquiring PA skills.
Whether working in a classroom or intervention setting, start with oral PA to establish phonological skills, then start to build letter-sound links. Once letters are known, incorporating letters into PA instruction and PA into alphabetic instruction is a practically meaningful and effective way to maximise PA gains.
While results indicated children are able to manipulate phonemic representations after 10.2 hours of basic oral PA instruction, the authors hypothesise that children with no letter-sound knowledge may require a higher optimal cumulative dosage of PA instruction to master literacy skills taught and achieve grade-level proficiency.
They also noted the need to be flexible when working with children in an intervention setting, a point that is particularly relevant for those working with children with serious literacy challenges:
"Our findings should not be used to dictate an oversimplified prescription regarding dosage. Students will differ in the time they need to acquire PA and bond orthographic and phonological representations. Moreover, there are many other factors that govern the effectiveness of instruction."
Within the Read3 program PA tasks are included in each step. They initially target broader phonological skills then build sequentially to phoneme manipulation. With a view to ensuring continued progress for children with significant processing challenges, a combination of PA tasks – with and without letters – are provided. These tasks are directly linked to the content being covered in that step, which was identified in the study as an optimum approach for PA instruction.
Moving forward with research-based instruction
While this meta-analysis provides a robust estimate of the optimal dosage of PA instruction, educators and interventionists should continue to adapt their teaching strategies based on ongoing assessments and individual student progress.
This research underscores the importance of not just the content of early literacy instruction but also its pacing and dosage. By aligning teaching practices with the latest research, we can more effectively support every student's journey toward reading proficiency.
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