Abstract
The purpose of this study was to evaluate an early literacy intervention programme for preschool children who are at risk for literacy difficulties. This study was designed based on the ADDIE instructional design framework: Analysis of needs, Designing intervention program and test, Developing and validating intervention module, materials, and test, Intervention, and Evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention. A total of 64 kindergarten children from 10 preschools who were native speakers of Malay children – 32 intervention and 32 control, participated in this experimental study. Pretest and posttest were administered using Malay Early Literacy Skills Test Battery (MELSTB). Paired samples t-tests indicated that both groups progressed significantly in phonological awareness, reading, spelling and reading comprehension skills. However, intervention group significantly outperformed the control group in all literacy skill posttests. This study offered a viable intervention alternative within preschool curriculum.
Highlights
To produce citizens with high literacy rate is the aspiration of every nation, and more so in an era that emphasizes information and communication technologies
This study employed the experimental design to investigate the effectiveness of an early literacy intervention on Malay language
Independent samples t-test showed no significant differences in the pretest between Early Literacy Intervention (ELI) and control groups, t(62)=0.04, p=.970 .Significant differences were found in the posttest between ELI and control groups, t(62)=5.60, p
Summary
To produce citizens with high literacy rate is the aspiration of every nation, and more so in an era that emphasizes information and communication technologies. In Malaysia, the national preschool curriculum (KSKP 2010) for children aged 5-6 years who are attending kindergartens, was implemented in 2010 for all preschools, whether public or private In this curriculum, one of the six strands underlying pre-school education is communication which includes language skills. Remedial effort for literacy difficulty has been found to be time-consuming, more costly and less effective than intervention which aims at prevention in early years (Foorman, 2004; Heckman, 2000; Ramey & Ramey, 2006; Snow, Burns & Griffin, 1998) In this light, it is vital to realign the curriculum and instructional approaches in preschools and to equip preschool teachers with pedagogical content knowledge training, resources and appropriate delivery approaches, to ensure efficient and effective instruction and intervention in preschool
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
