Early Literacy Instruction Research Articles

The Evolution of an Innovative Online Task to Monitor Children's Oral Narrative Development.

Oral narrative abilities are an important measure of children's language competency and have predictive value for children's later academic performance. Research and development underway in New Zealand is advancing an innovative online oral narrative task. This task uses audio recordings of children's story retells, speech-to-text software and language analysis to record, transcribe, analyse and present oral narrative and listening comprehension data back to class teachers. The task has been designed for class teachers' use with the support of SLP or literacy specialists in data interpretation. Teachers are upskilled and supported in order to interpret these data and implement teaching practices for students through online professional learning and development modules, within the context of a broader evidence-based approach to early literacy instruction. This article describes the development of this innovative, culturally relevant, online tool for monitoring children's oral narrative ability and listening comprehension in their first year of school. Three phases of development are outlined, showing the progression of the tool from a researcher-administered task during controlled research trials, to wide-scale implementation with thousands of students throughout New Zealand. The current iteration of the tool uses an automatic speech-recognition system with specifically trained transcription models and support from research assistants to check transcription, then code and analyse the oral narrative. This reduces transcription and analysis time to ~7 min, with a word error rate of around 20%. Future development plans to increase the accuracy of automatic transcription and embed basic language analysis into the tool, with the aim of removing the need for support from research assistants.

Predicting Early Literacy: Auditory and Visual Speech Decoding in Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children.

The current study investigated the relative contributions of auditory speech decoding (i.e., auditory discrimination) and visual speech decoding (i.e., speechreading) on phonological awareness and letter knowledge in deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) kindergartners (Mage = 6;4, n = 27) and hearing kindergartners (Mage = 5;10, n = 42). Hearing children scored higher on auditory discrimination and phonological awareness, with the DHH children scoring at chance level for auditory discrimination, while no differences were found on speechreading and letter knowledge. For DHH children, speechreading correlated with phonological awareness and letter knowledge, for the hearing children, auditory discrimination correlated with phonological awareness. Two regression analyses showed that speechreading predicted phonological awareness and letter knowledge in DHH children only. Speechreading may thus be a compensatory factor in early literacy for DHH children, at least for those who are exposed to spoken language in monolingual or in bilingual or bimodal-bilingual contexts, and could be important to focus on during early literacy instruction.

Adult Talk During Book Reading for Preschoolers With ASD: Links With Literacy Outcomes

Calls for interventions in early childhood that best prepare children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to have inclusive school experiences have been numerous. Although there is a developing literature on the efficacy of interactive book reading (IBR) for this population, it is still unclear which aspects of IBR benefit these children and in what way. To address this gap, we reanalyzed data from a recently completed experiment comparing IBR with other early literacy instruction for preschoolers with ASD. Our results showed that frequency of tutors’ use of completion prompts used during IBR was uniquely predictive of better gains in phonological awareness. In addition, tutors’ frequency using open-ended prompts was associated with increased gains in print knowledge. Furthermore, both findings held true after controlling for language gains. Results have implications for the types of structure and support that adults might provide young children with ASD during IBR.

Literacy Activities that Highlight Emergent and Beginning Literacy Development

AbstractActivities that teach PreK–1 students the six components of emergent literacy and beginning reading and word study are presented for classroom settings. These activities are adaptable developmentally and they highlight four important aspects of teaching phonics, spelling and word knowledge that are often overlooked: the rhythm of literacy, Concept of Word in Text (COW‐T), articulation in word study, and the role of spelling in the reciprocal processes of reading and writing (decoding/encoding). Research underlying these activities suggests that rhythmic activities in early literacy instruction can be a precursor to explicit instruction for phonological awareness with young children and students who struggle to learn to read. The research also shows how articulation and other multisensory aspects of learning to read are parts of development and instruction for emergent and beginning readers. The role of spelling during these early periods is highlighted and discussed.

Public Library Play-based Early Literacy Programs: What is the Parental Experience?

Many public libraries offer early literacy storytime programs to child patrons and their parents. Based on current research and best-practice periodicals, more children’s librarians are incorporating and modeling play-based activities in their storytime programs at the public library to emphasize the importance of parent-child interaction in guiding early literacy learning. Play as a method of learning is often underutilized and misunderstood by parents. This literature review aims to investigate the role of public libraries (and librarians) in informal early literacy education, the shift towards play-based practices in early literacy programs at the public library, the importance and significance of quality parent-child interaction in early literacy experiences, and the documentation of the experiences and perceptions of parents attending early literacy programs at the public library with their children. As previous studies correlate the benefits of parent-child interaction in play-based activities with early literacy learning, it is evident that further qualitative research into the actual experiences of parents attending play-based early literacy public library programs is needed in order to identify moreareas for improvement of public library services and storytime programs for child patrons and their parents.

Perceptions and pedagogical considerations in professional development training for integration of an early literacy program in Kenya

ABSTRACT The present study examines experiences of mentor teachers and their teacher colleagues following three days of professional development training for early literacy instruction and a literacy software program (ABRA). Four Kenyan teacher-mentors were interviewed and 34 teachers were surveyed. Training included program specific and curriculum integration content. Thematic analysis of interviews yielded six themes, which identified perceived barriers and facilitators to adoption and integration of ABRA in the Kenyan elementary school context. Consistent with integration models, barriers involved infrastructure and access to technology, and challenges integrating the pedagogy of the software within the constraints of the existing curriculum. These challenges placed extra burdens on the ‘ambassador’ role, a key strategic initiative, which may require alternative support for program continuance, adoption, and fostering teachers’ professional development. Ambassadors and teachers agreed on the majority of challenges identified. Recommendations were noted to address cultural norms to enhance accessibility of the software.

Curriculum deliberation and expansive learning through lesson study – Teaching Inference skills through an Aesop’s fable

ABSTRACT Drawing on discourse analysis and interview data, this case study uncovers how a lesson study team, supported by a curriculum specialist and an experienced teacher, anchored anticipating of student learning in sound curriculum deliberation, which enabled novice teachers to teach effectively inferencing skills, a highly demanding domain, through an Aesop’s fable. The team entered expansive learning when their dissonance arising from RL1 contradictions drove them to question their beliefs and make improvement decisions through rigorous justification on grounds of their values and utility. The team actively rehearsed the planned episodes and expanded the deliberation discourse into multimodal forms of actionable teacher support with strategies, metaphors, story maps and concrete props. The curriculum deliberation instilled in them the passion for making well-grounded judgements for student learning and brought them expansive learning to cross the boundary of curriculum making. Besides direct implications for early literacy education, the study suggests that lesson study start with curriculum deliberation as a principled framework to anchor and mediate teacher discourse and support teacher boundary crossing and identity making. More research is needed to build curriculum deliberation into teachable thinking strategies for teachers and develop their research capacity and an inquiry stance through mutual learning in research-practice partnerships to address the persistent problems of practice and make lesson study sustainable.

Impact of COVID‐19 on Early Literacy Instruction for Emergent Bilinguals

AbstractWe investigated teachers’ perspectives on how literacy instruction for bilingual children changed due to the shift to remote instruction during COVID‐19. Fifty K‐2 public school teachers from 10 states submitted smartphone‐based diary entries about their day‐to‐day literacy instructional practices before versus during COVID‐19. Teachers reported implementing less literacy instruction in general. The smallest declines were seen in code‐focused, foundational skills, while the largest declines were in language‐focused practices such as extended writing, vocabulary knowledge, and reading comprehension strategies. We analyzed teachers’ responses to identify factors that influenced their adaptations. Implications for areas of literacy development in need of immediate, intensive attention in the aftermath of COVID‐19 are addressed.

Digging into the extremes:A case study of figured worlds of early literacy instruction among homeroom teachers in more or less successful co-taught classrooms

Co-taught classrooms offer increased opportunities for differentiated, engaging and effective instruction. However, the inclusion of another professional in the classroom may collide with teachers’ taken-for-granted perspectives on what a teacher, a student, literacy activities or a classroom in early literacy instruction are or should be. Aiming to shed light on the relationship between such perspectives and students’ learning outcomes in co-taught classrooms, the present study takes a step back to investigate figured worlds (Gee, 2011) of the social practice of early literacy instruction, as held by homeroom teachers. In-depth individual interviews with six homeroom teachers in classes with very strong versus very poor reading development in first and second grade are investigated using a discourse-analytical approach. The extremes are found to differ in their understandings of students, teachers, classrooms, activities, organizational structures, instructional differentiation, and student engagement. Juxtaposing understandings of all of these elements shows that there are fundamental differences between those extremes in terms of their figured worlds of early literacy instruction as a complex social practice. This finding suggests that an awareness of homeroom teachers’ figured worlds is required when discussing the potential for enhancing student learning through co-teaching.

Teachers’ use of open questions: investigating the various functions of open questions as a mediating tool in early literacy education

ABSTRACT This study identifies the various functions of open questions in whole-class teaching in language arts classrooms in primary school, and it explores how these questions may work as a mediating tool. Open questions are considered a valuable tool in classroom discourse, enhancing dialogue and students’ learning by giving the students an opportunity to elaborate on their thoughts. The analysis draws on two data sets and includes observations from four schools and an examination of whole-class teaching in 32 language arts lessons. The results show that the teacher practice of asking open questions has one core function – classroom management. The teachers also ask open questions that are more subject specific, and the material covers writing activities and orthography and grammar instruction. The functions of open questions are quite similar in the two data sets. This may indicate that the teachers’ open questions mediate an understanding of school culture and the values of the subject to the students, here how writing activities and grammar instruction should be interpreted. This article argues that we should go further than merely differentiating between open and closed questions and investigate the functions of open questions in the classroom.

An analysis of teaching and learning materials for literacy instruction in Kano State, Nigeria: curricular relevance, cultural responsiveness and gender equity

AbstractHigh quality teaching and learning materials (TLM) are essential for early literacy learning. The purpose of this study was to determine if the TLM used in schools in Kano State, Nigeria, were culturally appropriate, gender balanced and relevant to the Nigeria Universal Basic Education Curriculum, with particular emphasis on primary reading. Using a researcher‐adapted rubric, lesson plans, textbooks and reading books from 10 private and public schools located in urban and rural areas in Kano were evaluated. The TLM were rated as moderately relevant to the Primary 3 English studies curriculum, which focuses on literacy development. However, the materials were generally not culturally responsive to this region and displayed only emergent gender balance. We conclude with recommendations for policy and practice, including the greater involvement of stakeholders from this region in materials development to support early literacy teaching and learning.

초기 문해력 지원을 위한 읽기 따라잡기 프로그램 연구 : 학술잡지 『초기문해력 교육』을 중심으로

최근 초기 문해력의 차이가 이후에 더 커다란 문해력 및 학습 격차로 이어진다는 인식이 확산되면서 초기 문해력 교육이 부각되고 있다. 이 연구는 초기 문해력 교육의 새로운 방향과 가능성을 제안하고 검증해온 ‘읽기 따라잡기 프로그램’에 대해 살펴보고, 읽기에 곤란함을 겪는 아이들에 대한 교육적 지원 방안 및 초기 문해력 교육에 대한 시사점을 찾고자 하였다. 읽기 따라잡기 프로그램은 한국판 리딩 리커버리 프로그램으로, 초등학교 1-2학년 어린 아이들이 도달해야 할 문해력 수준을 가정하며, 하위 20% 학생들을 대상으로 하여 개별 지도를 함으로써 그 아이들을 1-2학년 시기 아이들의 평균 수준에까지 이르도록 지원한다. 읽기 따라잡기 교육의 슬로건은 “아이로부터 출발하라. 그리고 교사를 세워라”이다. 이 슬로건 안에는 읽기 따라잡기 프로그램의 두 가지 원칙, 즉 ‘개별화된 조기 개입 프로그램’이라는 원칙과 ‘연구에 기반한 균형잡힌 접근법’이라는 원칙이 담겨 있다. 이 연구에서는 학술저널 『초기 문해력 교육』에 실려 있는 교사들의 자기비평을 중심으로 읽기 따라잡기 수업의 특성과 초기 문해력 교육 일반에 시사하는 점에 대해 살펴보았다. 그 결과 (1) 읽기 따라잡기 수업은 문해력과 자존감의 상관관계를 보여주며, (2) 읽기 따라잡기 교사들은 끊임없이 아이의 눈높이에서 머무르고자 한다는 것, (3) 교사들은 패턴화된 읽기 따라잡기 수업을 다양하게 재구성하고 있다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다. 읽기 따라잡기 프로그램은 (1) 초기 문해력 교육에 대한 패러다임을 변화시켰으며, (2) 초기 문해력 시기 교실 밖 문해 환경의 영향이 중요하다는 인식을 확산시켰고, (3) 실제로 이 프로그램에 참여한 아이들의 사례를 통해 읽기 따라 잡기 프로그램이 읽기 발달 최하위 학생들이 또래들의 평균적인 수준을 따라잡도록 하는 데 효과적인 프로그램임을 증명하는 등의 성과를 거두었다. 그러나 향후 읽기 따라잡기 프로그램이 지속 가능하면서 보편적인 초기 문해력 교육 프로그램으로 발전하기 위해서는 (1) 패턴화된 수업을 넘어서서 다양한 수업 방식을 수용하는 것, (2) 읽기 따라잡기 교사에게 요구되는 전문성의 부담을 줄이는 것, (3) 교사의 실천가-연구자로의 성장 과정을 다양화하는 것 등의 과제를 해결해야 한다.

A Study on Financial Literacy and Need for Financial Education

Fillecya (Financial Literacy) Boards adopts the idea of financial literacy education for the community, where the need for people to have better knowledge, confidence, and skills in financial management, where experts believe that financial literacy knowledge is significantly related to individual financial behavior of consumers. The important point in this research is how to teach financial literacy early on to children as the pillars of national development. One reliable alternative strategy in teaching children is through games, where children learn while playing and education will enter naturally. This research emphasizes the Fillecya Board as a medium for early financial literacy education. Scientifically, the Fillecya Board will have a positive contribution to scientific development in the field of financial literacy which is in line with the times. On the other hand, Fillecya also acts as a place for learning while playing for children and a means to train decision making. From the social aspect, fillecya will be able to increase solidarity between children and train healthy competition. By using the Research and Development research approach by using the Four-D model, namely define, design, develop and disseminate. For the first year, the results of this study show that all teachers which is this research respondent felt the need to develop financial literacy learning media. This is considered necessary because so far, the direct instruction method has not been able to make students understand about the material and need more time to achieve this learning goal. The results of this study indicate that more interactive media are needed in this study, one of which is fillecya.

The problem with pigeons in research and practice: communicating early literacy essentials and foundations in curriculum and instruction

AbstractThe long‐standing research to practice gap and increased interest in scientific literacy instruction has contributed to the oversimplification of what is deemed as foundational skills in US early literacy classrooms. Invoking a homing pigeon metaphor, this article describes the distilling of decades of reading research into a message being received by literacy practitioners, policymakers and families which prioritises phonics instruction, drowning‐out complex and nuanced findings supporting a more comprehensive approach. Grounded in an emergent literacy paradigm and applying a sociocultural approach to literacy in the 21st century with an eye towards equity, this article reframes what is considered ‘foundational’ early literacy teaching and learning to reflect the research base that supports proportional attention to constrained and unconstrained skills through integrated and contextualised instruction. To narrow the enduring research‐to‐practice gap, researchers must build authentic research partnerships with schools and support teacher educators' and teachers' enactment of comprehensive approaches to literacy instruction, curricula and assessment.

Red Flags, Red Herrings, and Common Ground: An Expert Study in Response to State Reading Policy

In many U.S. states, legislation seeks to define effective instruction for beginning readers, creating an urgent need to turn to scholars who are knowledgeable about ongoing reading research. This mixed-methods study considers the extent to which recognized literacy experts agreed with recommendations about instruction that were included on a state’s reading initiative website. Our purpose was to guide implementation and inform policy-makers. In alignment with the initiative, experts agreed reading aloud, comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, phonological awareness, and phonics all deserve a place in early literacy instruction. Additionally, they agreed some components not included on the website warranted attention, such as motivation, oral language, reading volume, writing, and needs-based instruction. Further, experts cautioned against extremes in describing aspects of early reading instruction. Findings suggest that experts’ knowledge of the vast body of ongoing research about reading can be a helpful guide to policy formation and implementation.

Using Insights from Teachers to Inform Online Professional Development in Early Literacy Instruction

ABSTRACT This thematic analysis utilizes teacher insights from their experiences in an online professional development (PD) course on early reading instruction to determine course design features educators perceive as being beneficial and questions and concerns educators raised during the course. We analyzed discussion forum contributions and course surveys from 418 educators enrolled in the course. We found that videos, interactive activities, and discussion forums were features of the online platform that fostered critical teacher reflection. Also, as teachers engaged with literacy content, they sought out new ways of understanding concepts of word analysis and invented spelling and reflected on how their course learning might apply to meeting the needs of diverse learners. Implications and design recommendations for future professional development courses in foundational reading are discussed.

Improving Engagement: Integrating Assistive Technology in Early Literacy

Although there are documented benefits and legislative mandates for children from birth through age 22, assistive technology (AT) is highly underused, especially among young children (Dunst & Trivette, 2011). One of the main reasons for this underuse is that while teachers are legally required to provide AT for children with disabilities, many teachers do not have the knowledge, confidence, or skills needed to provide AT to support early literacy instruction (Dean, 2020; Hilaire & Gallagher, 2020; Temple, 2019). This article identifies the benefits of AT during early literacy instruction and describes how teachers can integrate practical AT tools and strategies into early literacy instruction using a widely utilized framework call the SETT (Student Environment Task Tool; Zabala, 1995) Framework. The authors aim to provide free professional development resources to improve teachers integration of AT in their classrooms to enhance opportunities for young children with disabilities to meaningfully participate in everyday literacy activities.

Culturally Responsive Language and Literacy Instruction With Native American Children

Many American Indian education leaders advocate for the need to combine evidence-based reading instruction with cultural-based educational practices. In the broader education literature, education philosophers propose analogous models such as culturally responsive teaching to meet the educational realities of diverse students. Culturally Responsive Early Literacy Instruction (CRELI) was a project funded by the U.S. Office of Special Education Programs to train graduate scholars in speech–language pathology to work with American Indian/Alaska Native communities. The grant scholars and staff of CRELI worked with two early childhood education centers for American Indian preschoolers and developed curriculum units that featured culturally relevant storybooks as thematic centerpieces and activities to facilitate early language and literacy development. This clinical tutorial summarizes this work, broader components of culturally responsive teaching, and attributes of language-focused literacy curriculum and differentiated instruction, followed by a sample curriculum unit to demonstrate application of culturally responsive teaching concepts.

Enhancing Language Services to Native American Children: A Look From the Inside

Enhancing Language Services to Native American Children: A Look From the Inside

Enriching Critical Literacy Through Children's Literature: A Case Study in South Korea

Adopting a qualitative case-study approach, the current article explores how a literature-based, early critical-literacy practice can help young children critically engage with texts and shape their own voices. As part of a large-scale research project on early literacy education in South Korea, this study focuses on data collected over a five-month period, including participatory observations, in-depth interviews, and written materials. The findings suggest that literature-based, early critical literacy can foster young children’s critical and creative thinking and facilitate the creation of their own voices. How to make early critical literacy activities more meaningful and effective is also discussed.