The influence of orthographic depth on early grade students’ reading of words and non-words in Sidaama and English

  • Samrawit Bekele Demissie Ph.D. Candidate and Staff Member, Department of Linguistics, College of Humanities, Language Studies, Journalism and Communications, Addis Ababa University
  • Abraha Asfaw (Ph.D.) Ambaye Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education and Behavioral Studies, Addis Ababa University
  • Ingvill Krogstad (Ph.D.) Svanes Associate Professor, Department of Primary and Secondary Teacher Education, Faculty of Education and International Studies, Oslo Metropolitan University
Keywords: Early grade reading, orthographic depth, word reading, non-word reading

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyse word and non-word reading
among early grade students of Sidaama and English, with a specific
emphasis on the difference in orthographic depth between the two
languages. The research has a convergent mixed methods design
applying reading skills tests, interviews with teachers and classroom
observations. The results of quantitative and qualitative analysis
showed that student scores in Sidaama, which has a transparent
orthography, indicated greater accuracy in both word and non-word
reading compared to English with its deep orthography. Overall,
students read words more correctly than non-words in both
languages. Especially in English, the scores for non-words were very
low. The results from the reading tests suggest that orthographic
differences between the two languages caused challenges for the
students when decoding words and non-words. The teachers
confirmed the influence of these challenges in interviews, and
students were observed struggling to read in class.

Published
2024-02-25
How to Cite
Demissie, S. B., Ambaye, A. A. (Ph.D.), & Svanes, I. K. (Ph.D.). (2024). The influence of orthographic depth on early grade students’ reading of words and non-words in Sidaama and English . Bahir Dar Journal of Education, 24(2), 4-25. Retrieved from http://journals.bdu.edu.et/index.php/bje/article/view/2062
Issue
Vol. 24 No. 2 (2024): Special Issue
Section
Articles

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