Phonological awareness : A study of four active teachers’ perception of and work with phonological awareness.

This study investigates how four teachers working in preschool class–grade 3 perceive the concept of phonological awareness, how they work to stimulate this awareness and whether they see any change over time. Four teachers were interviewed and turned out to have different perceptions of what phonological awareness is. The interviewed teachers obtained their teaching certificates in different years, which can explain the differences in their knowledge and use of the concept. Half of them worked according to the Bornholm model, which is based on phonological awareness. Those who said that they worked more according to the Whole Language and LTG method nevertheless sometimes used rhymes and chants and language exercises, mostly because they appreciated the playfulness and pleasure of these exercises. Through in-service training and contact with other teachers, the interviewed teachers have become increasingly interested in the concept of phonological awareness