Which component is NOT part of the development of phonological awareness?

Phonological awareness refers to the ability to recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken language at various levels, which includes understanding larger units of sound like words and syllables, as well as smaller units like phonemes and rhymes.

The correct answer, indicating that phonemic retrieval is not a component of phonological awareness development, is appropriate because phonemic retrieval refers more specifically to the process of recalling and producing specific phonemes rather than the awareness and manipulation of sounds themselves. In contrast, word awareness, responsiveness to rhyme, and syllable awareness are all essential aspects of phonological awareness. Word awareness involves recognizing and distinguishing whole words, syllable awareness focuses on recognizing the syllables within words, and responsiveness to rhyme relates to understanding and identifying rhyming patterns in spoken language.

Thus, phonemic retrieval, while related to the broader category of phonological processing, does not directly contribute to the awareness of sounds that is critical to developing phonological awareness.