Children's Literacy Skills Research Articles

Sebastian Walker and Walker Books: A Commercial Case Study

Walker Books was founded in 1978 as the first publishing house specifically dedicated to children's books. The company's founder Sebastian Walker was intent on promoting picture books and, in doing so, ensuring their artistic quality. The staunchly independent company's distinct values cultivated in a bohemian focus on both the artistry of the book and its employees' well-being, encouraging a family style environment and prioritizing the pre-school market in order to benefit children's literacy skills; in return, Walker demanded loyalty from the authors and illustrators who worked for him. However, it has been thirty years since Walker Books was established and many changes in personnel, society, and economic climate have shaped the evolution of the company. Thus, it is important to evaluate how the company fares in the contemporary market and to ask how far Walker's legacy has been retained and whether there is now a tension between quality and commercialism.

Principles for School-Age Language Intervention: Insights from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Principles for School-Age Language Intervention: Insights from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Ecological contexts and early learning: Contributions of child, family, and classroom factors during Head Start, to literacy and mathematics growth through first grade

Abstract The current study investigated the extent to which child, family, and classroom factors during Head Start are related to children's literacy and mathematics skills at the beginning of preschool and through first grade. Children and families (n = 945) were participating in the Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES), a large-scale data collection effort that assessed children's developing skills as well as their family and classroom environments. Longitudinal growth models revealed that Head Start children began their academic careers well below their more advantaged peers in literacy and mathematics, although by the end of first grade, their scores were nearly on par with national averages. Demographic characteristics of children, as well as their early language and social skills, were the strongest predictors of children's initial status and growth in both early academic domains. Results highlight key foundations and specific promotive factors of early school success for the nation's most disadvantaged children.

Cognitive and Linguistic Precursors to Early Literacy Achievement in Children With Specific Language Impairment

This study investigated the role of cognitive and language skills as predictors of early literacy skills in children with Specific Language Impairment. A range of cognitive and linguistic skills were assessed in a sample of 137 eight-year-old children with SLI at the beginning of the school year, and 6 months later on word decoding and reading comprehension. The cognitive and linguistic measures revealed four factors that were called language, speech, short-term memory, and phonological awareness. Structural equation modeling showed word decoding to be predicted by speech, short-term memory, and phonological awareness, whereas reading comprehension was predicted by word decoding skills and short-term memory. It can be concluded that in children with SLI variations in early word decoding are mostly determined by speech abilities and short-term memory, and to a lesser extent by phonological awareness. Moreover, reading comprehension turns out to be highly dependent on word decoding and short-term memory.

Maternal Involvement in the Home Literacy Environment: Supporting Literacy Skills in Children With Cochlear Implants

This study examines the home literacy environment in a group of mothers and their early-school-age children with cochlear implants ( N = 16). The goals of this investigation are to (a) describe the characteristics of the home literacy environment and (b) study the relationships between home literacy factors and children’s reading skills. Mothers completed a home literacy environment inventory and were videotaped during joint book reading. Children’s literacy skills were assessed using the Phonological Awareness Test and the Woodcock-Johnson III Diagnostic Reading Battery. Mothers’ perceived activities in their home, defined as maternal literacy teaching activities, were dominant and were positively related to children’s literacy skills. Two types of maternal responses to children’s miscues and two maternal comprehension techniques were used most frequently. Those same techniques were not positively associated with children’s literacy skills. Guidelines for educators are provided to better support the home literacy environment for children with cochlear implants.

Learning to Read and Write Cherokee: Toward a Theory of Literacy Revitalization

In an effort to revitalize the Cherokee language, Cherokee Nation launched an immersion program for preschool and elementary children in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Central to the curriculum is literacy in the Cherokee writing system known as syllabary. This study focuses on sociocultural and sociolinguistic evidence toward an understanding of the syllabary's role in Cherokee immersion, children's general literacy skills, and the micro- and macrolevel contexts of literacy in syllabary. We consider how an examination of Cherokee-literacy revitalization—as a feature of broader language revitalization—offers insight into the challenges and opportunities facing those who teach endangered languages through school-based immersion.

Enhanced recognition of written words and enjoyment of reading in struggling beginner readers through whole-word multimedia software

The effectiveness of a reading intervention using the whole-word multimedia software ‘Oxford Reading Tree (ORT) for Clicker’ was compared to a reading intervention using traditional ORT Big Books. Developing literacy skills and attitudes towards learning to read were assessed in a group of 17 struggling beginner readers aged 5–6 years. Each child was given each of the two interventions, and the order of intervention was counterbalanced across the group. Each intervention was integrated into the literacy hour over five consecutive days. Measures of written word recognition, written word naming, phonological awareness and attitudes towards computers were taken before and after each intervention. Significant gains in performance were found following both interventions for all of the literacy measures, but significantly greater gains in written word recognition and enjoyment of instruction were found following the Clicker than Big Book intervention. These results suggest that whole-word multimedia software could be a useful classroom aid for supporting early literacy skills in children who are struggling with learning to read.

Reading and Spelling in Children with Severe Speech and Physical Impairments

The aim of the present paper was to study literacy skills in children with severe speech and physical impairment (SSPI), and compare their performance to typically developing children. The children with SSPI and the comparison group, both groups with 28 children, were matched on receptive vocabulary and assessed on measures of reading, spelling, rhyming, phoneme awareness and memory. The comparison group achieved significantly higher scores on reading, spelling, and rhyme awareness, but no differences were found on phoneme awareness or memory. Regression analyses, with reading and spelling as dependent variables and phoneme awareness, rhyming, and memory as independent variables, revealed that phoneme awareness was the strongest predictor of both reading and spelling in both groups. Rhyming seemed more important to reading and spelling for the children with SSPI than for their speaking peers. The children with SSPI were at an earlier literacy stage and therefore more dependent on rhyming ability than children in the comparison group who drew on their phoneme awareness. Although both groups performed similarly on phoneme awareness, the comparison group showed stronger reading and spelling abilities, suggesting a different relationship between phoneme awareness and reading and spelling in children with SPPI.

Targeting Oral Language Development in High-Risk Preschoolers

Among risk factors associated with reading difficulties, poverty and underdeveloped oral language skills can be particularly detrimental to reading success. The City Early Reading First (CERF) project implemented a comprehensive curriculum, professional development, intensive mentoring, and home supports to enhance children's language, literacy, and cognitive skills. Participants (N = 75) were 4-year-old children and teaching staff from 8 Head Start classrooms in a large urban city in the Midwest. Within the larger project, CERF undertook an intervention—Language Enrichment Group (LEG)—that targeted at-risk preschoolers' oral language development, including vocabulary, discourse skills, and content knowledge. LEGs focused on deepening content knowledge, providing opportunities for language development, and fostering social skills. Whereas nearly half of all 4-year-olds were at risk for later reading difficulty according to fall Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–III (PPVT) scores, only one fifth remained at ...

Supporting Struggling Learners in Preschool: Emerging Approaches and Opportunities

This brief article introduces the reader to a special issue of NHSA Dialog that focuses on approaches to meeting the learning needs of preschoolers who are at high risk of later reading difficulties and academic failure. The paper offers a perspective on the value of examining early-stage evaluations of complex preschool interventions, and briefly reviews research that provides a rationale for focusing on children's language and early literacy skills in preschool. Emerging approaches to promoting the school readiness of struggling learners in preschool, including preschool Response to Intervention models and differentiated instruction, are discussed as a context for the interventions described in the special issue's articles.

The link between prosody and language skills in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and/or dyslexia

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) and dyslexia are known to have impairments in various aspects of phonology, which have been claimed to cause their language and literacy impairments. However, 'phonology' encompasses a wide range of skills, and little is known about whether these phonological impairments extend to prosody. To investigate certain prosodic abilities of children with SLI and/or dyslexia, to determine whether such children have prosodic impairments, whether they have the same pattern of impairments, and whether prosodic impairments are related to language and literacy deficits. Six subtests of the Profiling Elements of Prosodic Systems - Child version (PEPS-C) were used to investigate discrimination/comprehension and imitation/production of prosodic forms that were either independent of language or that had one of two linguistic functions: chunking (prosodic boundaries) and focus (contrastive stress). The performance of three groups of 10-14-year-old children with SLI plus dyslexia, SLI, and dyslexia were compared with an age-matched control group and two younger control groups matched for various aspects of language and reading. The majority of children with SLI and/or dyslexia performed well on the tasks that tested auditory discrimination and imitation of prosodic forms. However, their ability to use prosody to disambiguate certain linguistic structures was impaired relative to age-matched controls, although these differences disappeared in comparison with language-matched controls. No, or only very weak, links were found between prosody and language and literacy skills in children with SLI and/or dyslexia. Children with SLI and/or dyslexia aged 10-14 years show an impaired ability to disambiguate linguistic structures for which prosody is required. However, they are able on the whole to discriminate and imitate the actual prosodic structures themselves, without reference to linguistic meaning. While the interaction between prosody and other components of language such as syntax and pragmatics is problematic for children with SLI and/or dyslexia, prosody itself does not appear to be a core impairment.

Differential Effects of French and Spanish Immersion Education on English Literacy Skills

This study examined the English literacy skills of children in an immersion school, some of whom were enrolled in a French program and some in a Spanish program. The English literacy skills of the children enrolled in the Spanish program were consistently better than the English literacy skills of the children enrolled in the French program. In addition, with English literacy instruction provided during first grade, both French and Spanish groups achieved expected scores on the English literacy tests by the end of first grade. The results of this study suggest that learning English literacy skills was enhanced by concurrently learning a second language with a consistent orthography.

‘The right book to the right child at the right time’: Primary Teacher Knowledge of Children's Literature

Choosing texts and using them to develop children's literacy skills have long been held as key strands of primary teacher knowledge – even if this is only alluded to in children's learning outcomes...

Head Start Teachers' Perspectives on Early Literacy

Improvements in early literacy outcomes are increasingly expected of prekindergarten education programs such as Head Start. Although preschool teachers are central to promoting skills linked to subsequent reading and writing competence, their views of early literacy have received minimal research attention. This study employed focus group methodology to examine perspectives on early literacy in two samples of Head Start teachers ( N = 148) representing six different programs serving diverse communities in the Midwest. Analyses of 29 focus group sessions indicated that teachers were generally supportive of the inclusion of literacy goals for children but offered differing views on the relation of literacy to other goals. A dominant view was that growth in other developmental domains, especially social-emotional development, was a requisite to literacy development. Other perspectives included concurrent attention to growth in literacy and other areas, or an emphasis on children's literacy skills as a requisite to progress in other domains. Teachers' conceptions of early literacy emphasized alphabet knowledge with minimal attention to phonological sensitivity skills. Variations in children's literacy skills and interests were attributed to child readiness to a greater extent than to classrooms and families. There were two general patterns in teachers' descriptions of literacy instruction in their classrooms. Some teachers described their primary role as providing literacy materials and activities that children pursue when they are ready. Other teachers described practices that actively seek to ensure that all children engage in literacy learning. Implications for professional development opportunities and guidance on learning outcomes are discussed.

درجة تقدير معلمات رياض الأطفال لممارساتهن في إعداد بيئة تعليمية لتطوير مهارتي القراءة والكتابة لدى الأطفال في الروضة

This study aimed at investigating the degree of kindergarten teachers’ assessment of their practices in creating learning environment conducive to the development of early literacy in private kindergartens in Jordan. To achieve the research purpose, the researcher designed a questionnaire consisting of (50) items that addressed four domains namely; print-rich environment, learning corners, classroom library and outdoor environment. The study sample consisted of (250) kindergarten teachers from private kindergartens in Amman. Results revealed that the degree of teachers’ practices in creating print-rich environments was high, and learning corners and outdoor environment was fair, whereas it was weak on classroom library. Moreover, the results showed that there were significant differences regarding teachers’ practices due to qualifications in favor of high qualification, and teaching experience in favor of long experience, while the results showed that there were no significant differences due to specialization. In light of these findings, the researcher recommends qualifying kindergarten teachers in the field of childhood education to help them develop literacy learning environments. هدفت الدراسة التعرف إلى درجة ممارسة معلمات رياض الأطفال لإعداد بيئة تعليمية لتطوير مهارتي القراءة والكتابة في رياض الأطفال الخاصة في الأردن. ولتحقيق هدف الدراسة تم بناء استبانة مكونة من (50) فقرة موزعة على أربعة مجالات هي: البيئة التعليمية الغنية بالمواد المطبوعة، والزوايا التعليمية، ومكتبة الصف، والبيئة الخارجية. وتضمنت عينة الدراسة (250) معلمة رياض أطفال من مديرية التعليم الخاص في عمان. أظهرت نتائج الدراسة أن درجة ممارسة المعلمات لإعداد بيئة تطوير مهارتي القراءة والكتابة كانت عالية على مجال البيئة التعليمية الغنية بالمواد المطبوعة، ومتوسطة على مجالي الزوايا التعليمية والبيئة الخارجية، ومتدنية على مجال إعداد مكتبة الصف. كما أظهرت النتائج وجود فروق دالة إحصائياً فيما يتعلق بدرجة الممارسة تعزى للمؤهل العلمي لصالح المؤهل العلمي الأعلى، وسنوات الخبرة لصالح الخبرة الكبيرة، فيما تبين عدم وجود فروق إحصائية تعزى للتخصص. وفي ضوء النتائج التي توصلت إليها الدراسة يوصي الباحث بضرورة تأهيل معلمات رياض الأطفال بمجال تربية الطفولة المبكرة لتطوير بيئة تعلم مهارتي القراءة والكتابة.

Effects of an Embedded Phonological Awareness Intervention During Repeated Book Reading on Preschool Children With Language Delays

Efficacy of an explicit phonological awareness intervention embedded within repeated shared book reading with preschool children from low-income backgrounds with language delays was investigated. A multiple-baseline design across behaviors assessed the effects of phonological awareness training on rhyme and letter-sound knowledge with 13 preschool children with language delays from high-poverty communities. Rhyme intervention improved children's rhyme production and rhyme identification. Initial sound intervention enhanced children's alliteration and initial sound fluency skills. These effects were replicated within and across all 13 participants. Classroom teachers perceived meaningful changes in rhyme and letter-sound production. Interventionists and teachers reported high satisfaction with the procedures. Embedding an explicit phonological awareness intervention into repeated storybook reading resulted in improved emergent literacy skills for children at high risk for reading disorders.

Quality of Social and Physical Environments in Preschools and Children's Development of Academic, Language, and Literacy Skills

This study examined associations between quality of social and physical environments in preschools and children's development of academic, language, and literacy skills, and the extent to which preschool quality moderated the associations between child risk and development. Participants were a diverse sample of 540 four-year-old children in Georgia who attended Head Start, the Georgia Pre-Kindergarten Program, or private preschools. Controlling for children's gender, family income, race/ethnicity, preschool program type, and pretest performance, high-quality social environments were positively associated with children's academic and literacy skills at the end of preschool. Quality of the physical environment was not associated with children's outcomes at the end of preschool; however, higher quality physical environments moderated the negative associations between income and academic development and between non-White race/ethnicity and literacy development.

The development of literacy skills in children with Down syndrome: Implications for intervention

The cognitive profile observed in Down syndrome is typically uneven with stronger visual than verbal skills, receptive vocabulary stronger than expressive language and grammatical skills, and often strengths in reading abilities. However, there is considerable variation across the population of children with Down syndrome. We begin by outlining some of the methodological issues that surround research on literacy development in Down syndrome before surveying what is known about literacy and literacy-related skills. We proceed to review interventions to promote reading in school-age children with Down syndrome and conclude with directions for future research.

Development in early literacy skills during the pre-kindergarten year in Head Start: Relations between growth in children's writing and understanding of letters

Abstract Children's literacy skills are an important predictor of success in the early elementary grades. Education programs for at-risk preschool students target children's acquisition of specific literacy skills, including knowledge of letters of the alphabet, in preparing children for early school success. Writing has been proposed as a complementary approach to other instructional strategies for teaching young children about letters. This study examines relations among preschool children's early writing competence, knowledge of letter names, sensitivity to initial sounds in words and understanding of print concepts in a sample of low-income children enrolled in Head Start. Data were collected from the beginning to the end of the school year, which offered the opportunity to examine concurrent development of these early literacy skills. Results revealed that children whose writing was more sophisticated knew the names of more letters, understood more about print concepts and were more sensitive to initial sounds of words. There was evidence of bidirectional influences of writing on growth in letter knowledge, and of letter knowledge on growth in writing competence.

Turkish‐speaking First Graders in Norway Acquiring Second Language Vocabulary, Listening Comprehension and Literacy Skills

This study explored relationships between characteristics of classroom talk exposure and immigrant first graders' acquisition of second language oral skills (vocabulary and listening comprehension) and literacy skills. Twenty‐six children (mean age = 6.10 years) with Turkish as their first language and Norwegian as their second, attending various multilingual and ethnically diverse classrooms in Norway, were videotaped during classroom conversations. Classroom talk was coded for vocabulary richness, discursive complexity and emergent phonics talk and the children's oral language and literacy skills were assessed. Classroom vocabulary richness and discursive complexity predicted the children's second language vocabulary skills and listening comprehension after controlling for maternal education, but did not predict their literacy skills. The density of emergent phonics talk did not predict target children's code‐related skills in this sample. Applied perspectives related to second language learning in multiparty settings are discussed.