Application of the DECOLE programme in a natural classroom situation: effects on emergente literacy skills

Abstract

This quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of the DECOLE Program, applied by a teacher in natural classroom conditions, on preschoolers' emergent literacy skills. Fifty-three Brazilian children attending a public preschool participated (average age: 5 years and 7 months; standard deviation: 3.9 months), separeted into an Experimental Group (n=30) and a Control Group (n=23). Before and after the intervention, participants’ phonological awareness, vocabulary, oral comprehension, and letter knowledge skills were assessed. The results indicate that the groups were equivalent in the pre-test regarding the skills assessed. In the post-intervention, significant differences were observed in favor of the Experimental Group, which participated in the intervention, in phonological awareness, oral comprehension and vocabulary. The results suggest the effectiveness of the DECOLE Program, when applied in a natural classroom situation, for the development of emergent literacy skills considered highly relevant for learning to read and write.