Evaluating the Potential of a Speech Rhythm-Based Reading Intervention

Project overview

Clare Wood and Andrew Holliman received funding from the Leverhulme Foundation for a PhD studentship to examine the causal links from prosodic awareness to literacy by developing an intervention to improve prosodic awareness, and examining whether this changes literacy outcomes. Emily Harrison completed the PhD and demonstrated that there is a causal link between prosodic awareness and literacy development.

Impact statement

This project demonstrated, for the first time, that training in speech rhythm improves early literacy skills in children beginning school. This finding was used as the basis for a new reading scheme developed by Rising Stars.