Is there a causal link from phonological awareness to success in learning to read?

Anne Castles*, Max Coltheart

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    739 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this review, we re-assess the evidence that phonological awareness represents a skill specific to spoken language that precedes and directly influences the process of reading acquisition. Longitudinal and experimental training studies are examined in detail, as these are considered most appropriate for exploring a causal hypothesis of this nature. A particular focus of our analysis is the degree to which studies to date have controlled for existing literacy skills in their participants and the influence that these skills might have on performance on phonological awareness tasks. We conclude that no study has provided unequivocal evidence that there is a causal link from competence in phonological awareness to success in reading and spelling acquisition. However, we believe that such a study is possible and outline some ideas for its design and implementation.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)77-111
    Number of pages35
    JournalCognition
    Volume91
    Issue number1
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Feb 2004

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