Phonological working memory and phonological awareness in students at the end of cycle I of elementary school

Purpose: To investigate the performance of students at the end of Cycle I of Elementary School in phonological working memory and phonological awareness, as well as the possible relationship between these skills in this level of schooling. Methods: The research group was composed by 29 subjects of both genders, with mean age of 10 years, students from the 5 grade of Elementary School with no oral or written language disorders. The phonological working memory was assessed using the Pseudoword Repetition Test, and the Phonological Awareness: Instrument of Sequential Assessment – CONFIAS was used to assess phonological awareness. Results: The students showed appropriate performance in phonological working memory regardless of the similarity of the pseudoword. Concerning phonological awareness, it was observed better performance in the syllabic level and lower score than expected for the phonemic level. Although several studies claim correlation between phonological working memory and phonological awareness, no correlation was found in this sample. Conclusion: The lack of correlation between these skills raises reflections regarding possible extrinsic factors that may influence performance in phonological awareness.