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Abstract
This study aims to identify the relationship between phonological awareness and spatial visual memory, as well as, to detect the differences between Kuwaiti males and females and non-Kuwaitis with regard to reading learning difficulties in certain variables. The study adopts a comparative descriptive approach and uses sample of 350 primary students (3-5 grades) with reading learning difficulties (200 males and 150 females) Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis. Their ages ranged between 8- 10 years. Phonological awareness test and spatial visual memory test are applied. The findings of the study show that there is a statistically significant positive correlation between the components of phonological awareness tests (syllable & phoneme deletion test and non-word reading accuracy test) and between spatial visual memory tests (Forward Spatial Span Test and Backward Spatial Span Test) from males and females sample. There are no significant differences between males and females in phonological awareness skills (phoneme deletion test, and non-word reading accuracy test). Females show better performance than males in spatial visual memory tasks (Forward Spatial Span Test and Backward Spatial Span Test). Non-Kuwaitis show better performance than Kuwaitis in phonological awareness skills (syllable & phoneme deletion, and non-word reading accuracy test) and in spatial visual memory tasks (Forward Spatial Span Test and Backward Spatial Span Test). The results of the regression suggested that the integration of sounds is the only test that can predict reading disabilities. As (syllable & phoneme deletion, and t non-word reading accuracy test) are the most predictable of spatial visual memory.