Effects of the intervention on phonological awareness and naming speed on learning to write

The aim of this research was to analyze the causal effect that intervention on phonological awareness and naming speed could have on learning to write. A total of 271 students participate (138 experimental group and 133 control group). The experimental group received instructions on phonological awareness and naming speed throughout three courses, and the control group followed the official curriculum. The instructions given to students of pre-school education (4 and 5 years old) and first grade of primary school (6 years old), were evaluated in writing with standardized test three years later. The experimental group obtained higher scores than the control group in the phonological and rapid naming tasks. And more interesting, the experimental group obtained better results in writing tasks. These results have important theoretical implications, as they show the relationship between phonological awareness and naming speed in learning to write. There are also educational implications, since it provides guidelines to facilitate the learning of writing in the classroom. (C) 2014 Instituto de Ciencias de la Educacion de la Universidad de Oviedo. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.