Socioeconomic status differences in preschool phonological sensitivity and first-grade reading achievement.

Two groups of 5-year-old children whose fathers' occupations differed markedly in education and skill levels were seen in preschool, where they were given tests of performance IQ, receptive vocabulary and grammar, verbal working memory, phonological sensitivity, letter knowledge, and novice reading ability. At the end of first grade, academic achievement was assessed. Marked group differences were observed on most measures. Most differences remained after performance IQ effects were controlled. When general verbal ability effects were controlled, differences in phonological sensitivity and word-level reading and arithmetic achievement remained. When phonological sensitivity effects were also controlled, differences remained only in arithmetic performance. The same general pattern of results was observed in converging hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Overall, the results are consistent with the view that socioeconomic status differences in word-level reading achievement are mediated partly through preexisting differences in phonological sensitivity.