Phonological Awareness and Bilingual Preschoolers : Should We Teach It and , If So , How ?

cross-culturally, that are related to phonological awareBilingual children receive special education services ness (Paulesu et al., 2001). It is increasingly clear that at a considerably higher rate per capita than monolingual the development of literacy and preliteracy skills should children in this country (Garcia, 1993). Many of these include the teaching of phonological awareness and referrals are for academic, usually reading, problems sound-symbol correspondence, and particularly so for which are presumed to factor into the approximate 40% students at-risk for reading problems. As Bialystok and high school drop-out rate for bilingual students (Garcia, Herman (1999) state, “If there is anything like consensus 1993). Today, there is rising agreement among researchin the literature examining the preparatory skills for readers that there are interventions that demonstrably aid ing in an alphabetic script, it is that the development of preschoolers in becoming literate. This article reviews children’s phonological awareness is essential” (p. 39). what some of those interventions are and how they can This article specifically focuses on the questions be used with bilingual preschoolers. regarding the teaching of phonological awareness to biThere has been a longstanding debate in the teachlingual preschoolers. It begins with a review of research ing of reading whether phonics or whole language apon phonological awareness in the education of preproaches are more beneficial in supporting the young schoolers and on the education of bilingual young chilchild’s growth into literacy. In a comprehensive bookdren. An analysis of the research on cross-language length review of the extensive literature on this subject transfer of phonological awareness follows, and the arfor the National Research Council, Snow, Burns, and ticle concludes with recommendations regarding the Griffin (1999) conclude that good literacy programs must instruction of bilingual preschoolers in phonological include both enriched literary environments and direct awareness. instruction in sound-symbol correspondence. There are