CHILDREN’S ABILITY IN AWARENESS OF THE INITIAL AND THE FINAL SOUND IN A WORD

The findings from the PISA studies in 2009 and 2012 reveal the results of the reading achievements of 15-year-olds which are not satisfying. The fact is, the reading is influenced by several factors. One of the factors is the ability of phonological awareness, since the early teaching of phonological awareness has a major influence on the development and achievements of the reading abilities of children. Studies have found that the strategies for the development of phonological awareness in kindergarten are crucial for a child's success in literacy (Tafa, 2008). Nevertheless, in Slovenia, there is not enough emphasis on the early development of phonological awareness, even though we have good chances, because many children in the preschool period are included in kindergarten. This study has detected the impact of the exercise of phonological awareness in kindergarten which is accurately presented in this article. In the entire model, a certain proportion of children who detect neither the initial nor the final sound before entering the school is included. With children who have lower levels of phonological abilities, there is a greater risk that they will have reading difficulties. Therefore, it is no wonder that we draw the attention to the urgent changes in the activities and tasks in kindergarten.