The development of morphological awareness and its contribution to emergent literacy of Greek-speaking children

Abstract

Early linguistic development is considered fundamental for successful reading and spelling acquisition. Research so far demonstrates the central role of phonological awareness in early literacy experiences. In many languages through, some aspects of the spelling system require the contribution of the morphological awareness, since the understanding of the word’s morphological structure is essential for reading comprehension, spelling and syntax. Evidence in Greek and other orthographies underline the role of morphological awareness, even before attending first grade. For the present thesis two studies were conducted. The first study examines the morphological awareness level and morphemic component awareness of 237 Greek speaking children who attend pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade. The second study examines the contribution of morphological awareness to emergent literacy skills by assessing 59 Greek speaking children (4.0-5.0 years old) in a test battery.