The Effects of an Integrated Rhythmic and Literacy Intervention on the Development of Phonological Awareness and Rhythm Skills of Preschoolers

Abstract

<p>This study explored the impact of an integrated rhythm-literacy (IRL) intervention on the development of rhythm and phonological awareness (PA) skills in preschool children ages 4-5.5 years old. The IRL intervention draws from research that examines the role rhythm may play in the development of PA and is composed of three main events. Those events include (1) integrated rhythm-literacy text interactions, (2) integrated rhythm-literacy call and response and (3) integrated rhythm-literacy movement. The study used an experimental pretest-posttest design. A total of 43 participants took part in the study (intervention group = 23 children, comparison group = 20 children). Initial results indicate that the IRL intervention significantly improved the rhythm and rhyme awareness of the intervention group over the comparison group.</p>