The role of organized preschool learning environments in literacy and numeracy development

Abstract

Abstract The aim of this research is to describe developments in children's understanding of literacy and numeracy in the context of organized preschool centres. Eight preschool centres of varying organization and a number of children from each centre were selected for longitudinal study. The preschool context of learning was examined by using conversation analysis to determine initial levels of reflectiveness in each centre. Observations of children in each centre confirmed the relation between levels of reflectiveness and children's literacy and numeracy experiences. Two contrasting models of learning were introduced to the centres in order to compare the centres' responses. The first model was based on adult‐child interaction during learning and the second model was based solely on learning processes in children. Each model was introduced to two ‘high’ and two ‘low’ reflective centres. There was an interaction between the centres' levels of reflectiveness and the model that was introduced; centres which were high on reflectiveness dealt in a similar manner with both models of learning while centres which were low on reflectiveness reacted far better to the model of learning based on adult‐child interaction. Progress in the literacy/numeracy understanding of the 56 children studied longitudinally suggested that the important developments taking place concerned the children's understanding of symbols as communicative systems. The progress the children made in their first year of primary school was strongly related to the understanding of symbols they had brought with them at school entry.