The use of an Icelandic screening phonological and metalinguistic awareness test HLJÓM-2 in Icelandic pre-and elementary schools in the county Árnessýsla in Iceland

• Main Authors: Jónsdóttir, Guðrún Þóranna, Einarsdóttir, Jóhanna T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: Icelandic
• Published: Icelandic Journal of Education 2015
• Subjects: Phonological awareness screening tool (HLJÓM-2); early intervention; reading education; cooperation between educational levels; HLJÓM-2; snemmtæk íhlutun; samvinna skólastiga; foreldrasamvinna; lestrarnám; Árnessýsla; Iceland
• Online Access: https://ojs.hi.is/uppmennt/article/view/1986

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of a metalinguistic awareness screening test HLJÓM-2 within three groups of interest; the parents of the screened children, the preschool teachers who screened the children and the children´s first grade teachers in elementary schools in a defined area (Árnessýsla) in Iceland. The HLJÓM-2 is a research based screening test, developed from investigations carried out in the years 1996–2002 on Icelandic preschool children’s language knowledge and later reading achievements. The test was developed to be used within the Icelandic preschools to identify children at risk of later reading difficulties before formal reading instructions began. The result of the test at age five predicts academic achievement on Icelandic national tests throughout the compulsory school, or to the age of 16 years. Previous researches show that the strongest relationship was between the HLJÓM-2 and the national standardized tests in mathematics in Grade 4 and Icelandic in Grades 4, 7 and 10. Approximately 1000 preschool teachers have attended a short course, received a test certificate and are allowed to use the test. The test is used within the majority of Icelandic preschools. The test was designed for preschool teachers to identify children at risk in their own group. Almost every Icelandic preschooler (4.9 years to 5.11 years) is assessed with the test. In this study, questionnaires were sent to all first grade teachers, all preschool teachers and all parents of first grade primary school children in the district Árnessýsla. Árnessýsla is a large county in the south of Iceland with approximately 8000 inhabitants, 15 preschools and 10 primary schools. The response rate was high or 75% to 95%; parents (75% of 214), preschool teachers (94% of 31) and primary school teachers (95% of 19). The questionnaires were developed to answer questions on the use of the HLJÓM-2, the parents’ knowledge of the test, the identification and the intervention for the children at risk after the screening and the ...