How socioeconomic status, verbal memory, rapid naming and receptive language contribute to phonological awareness in Turkish preschool children

The present study investigated the relative importance of verbal memory, rapid naming, receptive language and phonological awareness for Turkish children from low-versus middle and high-socio economic status (SES) backgrounds. A total of 132 kindergarten children were assessed on verbal memory, rapid naming, receptive language and phonological awareness in Turkish. Results revealed that low-SES children exhibited lower levels of verbal memory, rapid naming, receptive language and phonological awareness than their middle and high-SES counterparts. Regression analyses also indicated that verbal memory and receptive language made significant contributions to phonological awareness. Overall, findings show the potential importance of SES inequalities, verbal memory skills and receptive language input to their children for phonological awareness.