Failing to Succeed the First School: Exploring Phonological Factors and Letter Reading Ability in Grade 1

The context of this paper is studies worldwide on influence of phonological factors in language development of children. Such studies reveal the significance of Phonological Awareness in development language skills: including, predictive value of phonological short-term memory for reading skills in Grade 1. This paper throws light on factors in language learning that associate to failure in completion of lower primary grades in their first school. This paper analyses data obtained during a longitudinal study of school and pupil factors that leads to language difficulties in lower primary classes. The sample was cohort of students enrolled in grade 1 in the year 2010, in 11 coastal primary schools in Thrissur district (include government and aided schools). The sample was followed until 2013, through four academic years. This paper analyses phonological awareness and letter reading in Grade 1 of two distinct groups in the initial sample of 199 lower primary students. One group consists of those who successfully were promoted to Grade 4 in the same school by fourth academic year. Second group is of those who dropped out, retained or transferred to another school, before the completion of the first four years of schooling. Thus, this study tests difference, if any, in the performance of Phonological awareness and letter reading skills of groups that succeed and fail to successfully complete lower primary grades in their first school. This paper adds to understanding the problem of drop out and stagnation, which is traditionally attributed to poverty, child labour, malnutrition, and diseases among other societal and school factors. Implications are added. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)