Phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in English as an additional language in children immersed in a bilingual schooling context

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/2237-4876.2025v28n1p21-38

Keywords:

Phonological awareness, Vocabulary, Biliteracy acquisition

Abstract

Literacy acquisition in two languages ​​is a relevant topic in the context of Bilingual Schooling of Prestigious Languages, a target of growing interest in Brazil (Alves; Finger, 2023). Two relevant constructs for the literacy process, whether in one or two languages, are phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge, important pillars for reading development and biliteracy. In this context, the present study investigated the relationship between vocabulary knowledge in English in Early Childhood Education and phonological awareness in English in children in the first year of Elementary School, also investigating the effect of exposure to the additional language on the phonological awareness indices of these children. Two tasks were used: an adaptation of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (Dunn; Dunn, 2007) and the Bilingual Metaphonological Assessment Battery (BAMBI) for children in the literacy phase in Brazil proposed by Azevedo et al. (2024). The results highlight the importance of qualified and frequent exposure to the additional language during Early Childhood Education, as well as expanding vocabulary knowledge and developing phonological awareness in English during this school stage, since these constructs are fundamental to the literacy process in one or two languages.

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Author Biographies

Ingrid Finger, UFRGS

Professora Titular do PPG em Letras da UFRGS, onde coordena o Laboratório de Bilinguismo e Cognição - LABICO. Possui Doutorado em Letras (PUCRS/2000). Atua nas áreas de Psicolinguística do Bilinguismo, Educação Bilíngue, Alfabetização e Literacia, e Neurociências e Educação. É pesquisadora PQ-CNPq e membro da Rede Nacional de Ciência para Educação.

Aline Mara Agostini Richetti, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

Possui Licenciatura em Letras - Língua Portuguesa e Literaturas de Língua Portuguesa, Língua Inglesa e Literaturas de Língua Inglesa pela UFRGS (2024). Possui experiência na área de ensino de idiomas e interesse em comunicação e tecnologia. Trabalha como revisora de uma Plataforma Digital de Leitura.

 

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Published

2025-04-30

How to Cite

FINGER, Ingrid; AGOSTINI RICHETTI, Aline Mara. Phonological awareness and vocabulary knowledge in English as an additional language in children immersed in a bilingual schooling context. Signum: Estudos da Linguagem, [S. l.], v. 28, n. 1, p. 21–38, 2025. DOI: 10.5433/2237-4876.2025v28n1p21-38. Disponível em: https://ojs.uel.br/revistas/uel/index.php/signum/article/view/52449. Acesso em: 15 jan. 2026.