The Anindilyakwa Quality of Phonological Representations Test (AQPR)
The AQPR is an iPad based screening test designed for use by teachers concerned with the development of early literacy skills in young children in schools on Groote Eylandt, Northern Territories, Australia. It measures how clearly the child can hear the sounds that make up a word. The task, including instructions, is presented in Anindilyakwa. It involves the children looking at pictures on iPad, e.g. a turtle, and then asking them to indicate by tapping a tick or a cross whether the word they heard at the same time is correct or incorrect, e.g. yimenda or dimenda or yimanda.
The childs AQPR score allows the teacher to determine whether the child can hear the distinctions between sounds that are so necessary when children are learning to read and especially when they are learning to spell. Preliminary research indicates that the test is a good predictor of early literacy skills in English.
This app is co-developed by Prof Janet Fletcher of University of Western Australia.