METRIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PHONOLOGIC AWARENESS QUESTIONNAIRE IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

The main aim of this research was to construct and identifiy, the metric characteristics of the pilot version of the questionnaire for assessing phonological awareness. We researched the metric characteristics of the Phonological Awareness Questionnaire, and found correlations with the other measuring instruments, which indicate the child's readiness to start school. A sample of all preschool children who were candidates for starting school in the next school year (72 subjects), from educational groups in the Kindergarten "Trnoruzica" in Zagreb, were interviewed using the Phonological Awareness Questionnaire (UFS), the Santa Barbara Healthy Start questionnaire for teachers (SBZSZO), Raven's Colored Progressive Matrices and the Graphic Test of the Perceptive Organization (Bender-Santucci). The questionnaire showed good metric characteristics, primarily in terms of its reliability. The one-factor solution in the interpretation of the construct validity can reflect the fact that the questionnaire probably measures a truly unique characteristic: the phonologic awareness of the children. The results of the questionnaire were significantly and positively associated with the other measurement instruments that serve as an assessment of preparedness for school. However further research is necessary.