A Phonological Awareness Test in Arabic Language for Young Learners: Validation Study

Abstract

A wide variety of tests measures phonemic and phonological awareness in different languages. There are very few tools of phonemic and phonological awareness in Arabic language. Such tools help to identify students’ weaknesses and strengths especially in early stages of their schooling for better instruction and intervention. Although Arabic phonetically maps between letters and sounds, it is not an easy language to read because of challenges inherent to the structure of the language itself. This paper explores a validation study of Arabic phonological awareness tests for kindergartners and first graders in Oman. Two different tests of phonological awareness and common skills were developed for two samples: kindergartners (n = 113) and first graders (n = 70). Results support the validity and reliability of the two tests and suggest that they can be used as diagnostic tools to identify children with low phonological awareness and help initiate appropriate reading intervention programs for them.