RAN objects intervention improves reading accuracy but not spelling

Fromont, Margot [UCL] Van Reybroeck, Marie [UCL] et al.

Purpose. Rapid automatized naming (RAN) and phonological awareness (PA) have been shown to predict literacy skills in many languages. While the contribution of PA on reading and spelling is relatively straightforward, the nature of the relationship between RAN and reading or spelling is less well understood (Araújo et al., 2015). The present study aims to demonstrate the specific impact of a PA intervention and a RAN objects intervention on reading and spelling in Grade 3. Method. Over a period of eight weeks, 66 Grade 3 French-speaking children (Mage = 8;9) were randomly assigned into three groups: RAN objects intervention (n = 23); PA intervention (n = 22); Control intervention (n = 21). The sessions consisted of two 30-minute lessons twice a week. They gradually increased in difficulty. Children were assessed on different measures (regular, irregular, and pseudoword reading and spelling, RAN, PA, vocabulary, processing speed) before and after the intervention. Results. Repeated measures ANOVA showed the effectiveness of both interventions: children trained in RAN objects made significant improvements in RAN objects and alphanumeric RAN compared to children from the PA and Control groups. Children trained in PA showed a significant progression in PA compared to children from the RAN and Control groups. In addition, children trained in RAN objects also improved significantly in irregular word reading accuracy compared to children trained in PA and Control interventions. No significant increase was shown for regular, irregular, or pseudoword spelling. Discussion. This study revealed a specific transfer effect of the RAN objects intervention on reading but not on spelling. These findings provide a new piece of evidence for a causal relation between RAN and irregular word reading accuracy. In doing so, they highlight the relation between improved rapid access to phonological representations and orthographic representations.