Early Reading Skills Research Articles

The Role of Phonics Instruction in Developing Early Reading Skills in Public Primary Schools in Ikungi District, Tanzania

The Role of Phonics Instruction in Developing Early Reading Skills in Public Primary Schools in Ikungi District, Tanzania

Efektifitas Token Ekonomi untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Membaca pada Anak

Reading skills play a vital role in everyone’s life. By ages 5-6, children should ideally begin recognizing early writing indicators, having already started learning grammar and developing a vocabulary of around 3,000 words. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a token economy system in enhancing children’s reading skills. This research is quantitative, employing an experimental approach. The intervention method used here is the token economy system, in which researchers apply an observation guide to monitor and adjust subjects’ behaviors to align with desired reading behaviors. The findings from this intervention show a rapid improvement in the subject's early reading skills. The child was able to identify and point to letters independently, differentiate between letters on their own, name words in pictures, and break down words independently. This study concludes that the token economy system is effective in improving children’s reading skills.

Strategi Profesionalisme Guru PAUD Abad 21 dalam Menstimulasi Kemampuan Membaca Anak Usia Dini

21st-century ECE teachers face challenges in developing effective strategies to stimulate early reading abilities in children. This study aims to explore the strategy of 21st-century early childhood education (ECE) teachers' professionalism in stimulating early reading skills in young children focusing on the effectiveness of these strategies in enhancing children's interest and reading abilities. The study employs a descriptive qualitative research method, with two teachers from groups B1 and B2 of TK Piri Nitikan as the subjects. The findings highlight that the professionalism of 21st-century ECE teachers, particularly in using conventional picture storybooks and digital flipbooks, positively contributes to enhancing early reading skills. Conventional picture storybooks aid in developing fine motor skills and basic language abilities in children, while digital flipbooks offer a more interactive and engaging learning experience. Combining conventional and digital approaches in 21st-century ECE professionalism provides a strong foundation for improving early childhood reading abilities.

Socio-Cultural Approach through Digital Teaching Modules: A Solution to Improve Beginning Reading Skills in Elementary Schools

The low level of early reading skills among primary school students in Indonesia is one of the significant challenges in education. International evaluations such as PISA show that Indonesian students' basic literacy skills are still below average, affecting their overall academic development. One of the contributing factors to these low results is learning that is less relevant to students' socio-cultural context. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of a socio-cultural-based digital teaching module on primary school students' beginning reading skills. This study used a quasi-experimental design with a sample of 200 grade 1 students divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group learned using socio-cultural-based digital teaching modules, while the control group applied conventional learning methods. The instrument used was a beginning reading test with 20 questions that measured the ability to recognize letter symbols, distinguish words based on the same initial letter or syllable, and compose syllables into words. Independent Sample T-Test analyzing an independent sample, ensuring that the ty and homogeneity tests were met. The results revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups, with the experimental group showing more significant improvement in all indicators of beginning reading ability. Further discussion showed that the socio-cultural-based approach in this module made learning more relevant, exciting and interactive for students, ultimately improving their reading comprehension and motivation. In addition, integrating digital technology in this module supports flexibility and continuity of learning, allowing students to learn according to their pace and needs. This research has important implications, namely the need for broader implementation of Socio-Cultural Based Digital Teaching Modules in primary schools to improve basic literacy. However, to ensure its successful implementation, adequate technological infrastructure support and teacher training are needed to optimize this digital-based learning in the classroom.

English language teacher educators’ knowledge and skills on early grade reading instruction

This study investigated English language teacher educators' knowledge and skills on early grade reading instruction. It employed a quantitative design, particularly the descriptive comparative one, utilizing cluster random sampling method to include all (N = 43) English language teacher educators from three teacher education colleges (15 from Arba Minch, 11 from Hosana and 17 from Hawassa) in Ethiopia. The study used test and years of teaching experience as instruments to collect data. It employed descriptive statistics and One sample t-test to identify level of knowledge and skills English language teacher educators had on early grade reading, Multiple regression and Beta weights to determine the combined and relative contributions of domains of the early grade reading for English language teacher educators' knowledge and skills while Spearman's rho Correlation to examine the relationship between English language teacher educators' years of teaching experience and their knowledge and skills test score. Findings revealed that majority of English language teacher educators were at low level of knowledge and skills; they scored the skills test better than the knowledge one. Moreover, English language teacher educators in the current study had significantly low’ level of early grade reading knowledge and skills compared to participants' early grade reading knowledge and skills in the hypothesized population, indicating that there are substantial differences on early grade reading knowledge and skills between the two groups. Although early grade reading domains together significantly contributed to English language teacher educators' level of content knowledge and skills, phonemic was the most while morphology was the least contributor. However, English language teacher educators' years of teaching experience did not show any significant correlation with their early grade reading knowledge and skills. The study concluded that English language teacher educators might not fully equip the preservice English language teachers with the content knowledge and skills to teach the early grade reading.

The Early Reading and Music partnership

There is broad agreement, in relation to the high gravitas of ‘the big six’ in teaching early reading, the pillars of effective reading instruction (Moats, 1999; NRP, 2000; Konza, 2014). Notwithstanding, there exists a body of evidence that indicates the arts, in particular music, enhance and motivate other learning, helping young children to become readers. This suggests the explicit teaching of early reading and music together can yield powerful learning for students, the conflation of which improves and accelerates both reading and music mastery. This research investigates whether participation in music instruction has beneficial effects on young children’s learning and acquisition of early reading skills; specifically, if a link exists between early reading and music acquisition. There are three parts to this research: a) literature review; b) email surveys/ semi structured interviews; c) classroom observations. Results suggest that music serves as a natural bridge to literacy, strengthening auditory processing, and scaffolding learning phonemes and graphemes. Music aids memory because the beat, melody and harmony carry semantic content, clarifying meaning. Children learn with less effort and remember information more easily when rhyme and rhythm are present. Nursery rhymes, poems and action songs engage children through playing with language, suggesting that a transdisciplinary pedagogical approach is a potential solution to challenges currently faced in education in relation to disengagement from traditional schooling and declining reading levels. An early reading and music partnership is an approach to learning that may benefit young learners along the road to becoming readers.

A longitudinal study on the predictors of early grades learning attainments in low-and-middle-income countries: Evidence from Tanzania

Strands of evidence from high-income countries has consistently indicated that early learning attainments predict later learning achievements. However, less are known about these issues from low-and-middle-income countries, particularly from the sub-Saharan region. This longitudinal study examined the extent to which children’s school-entry (N = 597; mean age = 6.34 years) early reading and early math skills predicted their later learning achievement in a low-income country, Tanzania. Further, given the existing disparities of quality of educational services, families’ income, and early learning achievements, the sample included children and families from both rural and urban contexts. Data were collected using Measure of Early Learning Environments (MELE) for controlling of school quality, Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Early Grade Math Assessment (EGMA) for children’s tests, and parents’ questionnaire for home-related variables. Controlling for family socioeconomic status, intervention status, urbanicity settings, and parental education, findings indicated that school-entry math skills were significantly predictive of children’s end of Grade 2 reading and math achievement. However, while school-entry early reading skills predicted end of Grade 2 reading achievement, it did not predict later math achievements. This article extends research on links between elements of transition to school and later achievement across countries, thus, its implications are discussed.

Examining Relationships Between Sub-Components of Reading in Xitsonga

Reading is developed over time and involves the interaction of both simple and complex skills characterised by a hierarchical sequence of foundational reading skills. However, research has shown that children who do not acquire mastery of foundational reading skills have limited chances of acquiring reading success. This study examines the relations between sub-components of reading in Xitsonga and their impact on Grade 1 learners’ reading ability. It also aims to identify which early reading skills predict later reading accomplishment. Data in this study was obtained from 75 Grade 1 learners in the Limpopo Province. The early-grade reading assessment tool adapted to Xitsonga was used to test the learners’ foundational reading skills: phonological and phonemic awareness, letter-sound knowledge, word reading, oral reading fluency and reading comprehension skills. The results present a compelling relationship between the subcomponents of reading and show that deficits in the development of foundational reading skills negatively impact learners’ ability to read. Regression analysis showed that oral reading fluency was the only significant predictor of reading comprehension. Hence, there is a need for reading to be taught and learned consciously in alphabetic languages to help learners develop their early reading skills, which play important roles in the acquisition of reading.

Parental Involvement in Reading Among Grade 1 Learners

Parental involvement in reading is crucial for learners. Active engagement helps develop early reading skills, boost self-esteem, and improve parent-child relationships that may grow their children's reading experiences by having frequent storytelling sessions, having book discussions, and setting up a family that values literacy. This study determined the nature of parental involvement in reading among Grade 1 learners in the three identified public elementary schools in Cebu, Philippines. The instruments used in the study included a researcher-made questionnaire administered to 174 parents. Quantitative data from the questionnaire were analyzed using statistical measures such as frequency, simple percentage, weighted mean, and the Chi-square test of independence. It was concluded that although parents were somewhat involved, parents were more active in learning at home. The parental involvement was often modest. The same empirical findings showed no correlation between the respondents' diversified profiles and parental reading engagement with Grade 1 learners. Aware of the results, the researchers politely suggested using the action plans explicitly created to help parents involve their children in reading.

Transformation of Early Reading Ability Through Smart Wheel Media Based on the TGT Learning Model

This study introduces the Kintar/Smarwheel learning media, a one meter diameter Smart Wheel media that was developed using the Team Game Tournament (TGT) learning model to improve the initial reading skills of grade 1 elementary school students. The problem of urgency is highlighted by the low reading ability of the average grade 1 child, encouraging the development of effective learning media. This research aims to develop, validate and evaluate the effectiveness of Kintar in improving student learning outcomes in early reading. This study uses a development approach, integrating the product design phase, feasibility validation by media and materials experts, and effectiveness testing through small and large scale trials involving grade 1 students from SDN Purwoyoso 03, Semarang City. Feasibility assessments by experts confirmed a high degree of suitability for educational use, with significant improvements in student learning outcomes observed during the pilot. The small scale trial showed an average increase from pretest to posttest scores from 46.67 to 70.00, with a significant difference of 23.33. The large-scale trial showed a mean increase from 61.47 to 81.47, with a striking difference of 20.00. The N-Gain test results show a moderate impact, with values ​​of 0.3959 and 0.5298 for small and large scale tests, respectively. This study concludes that Kintar, integrated with the TGT learning model, is a powerful educational tool for improving early reading skills. Positive feedback from students and teachers underscores its effectiveness in generating engagement and improving learning outcomes in the classroom.

The role of formal schooling in the development of children's reading and arithmetic white matter networks.

Children's white matter development is driven by experience, yet it remains poorly understood how it is shaped by attending formal education. A small number of studies compared children before and after the start of formal schooling to understand this, yet they do not allow to separate maturational effects from schooling-related effects. A clever way to (quasi-)experimentally address this issue is the longitudinal school cut-off design, which compares children who are similar in age but differ in schooling (because they are born right before or after the cut-off date for school entry). We used for the first time such a longitudinal school cut-off design to experimentally investigate the effect of schooling on children's white matter networks. We compared "young" first graders (schooling group, n=34; Mage=68 months; 20 girls) and "old" preschoolers (non-schooling group, n=33; Mage=66 months; 18 girls) that were similar in age but differed in the amount of formal instruction they received. Our study revealed that changes in fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity in five a priori selected white matter tracts during the transition from preschool to primary school were predominantly driven by age-related maturation. We did not find specific schooling effects on white matter, despite their strong presence for early reading and early arithmetic skills. The present study is the first to disentangle the effects of age-related maturation and schooling on white matter within a longitudinal cohort of 5-year-old preschoolers. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: White matter tracts that have been associated with reading and arithmetic may be susceptible to experience-dependent neuroplasticity when children learn to read and calculate. This longitudinal study used the school cut-off design to isolate schooling-induced from coinciding maturational influences on children's white matter development. White matter changes during the transition from preschool to primary school are predominantly driven by age-related maturation and not by schooling effects. Strong effects of schooling on behavior were shown for early reading and early arithmetic, but not for verbal ability and spatial ability.

Developing Early Childhood Reading Skills Through Smart Box Media in Group B at KB Rinjani

Beginning reading skills need to be stimulated from an early age so that children do not experience many difficulties in studying various fields of study at the next level of education. This research aims to improve the initial reading ability of smart box media in group B at Rinjani KB. The type of research used in this research is collaborative Classroom Action Research which uses the Kemmis and Mc Taggart model. The subjects of this research were 13 group B children at Rinjani KB. Data collection methods are carried out through observation and documentation. The data analysis technique was carried out descriptively quantitatively. The research results show that children's initial reading abilities can be improved using smart box media. The increase in initial reading ability can be seen based on the percentage increase from pre-action of 0% to an increase of 7.96%. In cycle I it was 7.96%, in cycle II it increased from 76.93% to 84.62% with the criteria of developing very well.

Upaya Meningkatkan Kemampuan Membaca Permulaan Melalui Media Audio Visual pada Anak Usia 5-6 Tahun di Ra An-Nida

The purpose of this study is to determine (1) whether the audio-visual materials in RA AN-NIDA can help children aged 5-6 years with early reading. (2) the capacity of children aged 5 to 6 years to develop their reading skills after using audiovisual media. (3) The use of audiovisual materials in the first reading material with the topic of introducing fruits with alphabetic letters in RA-ANNIDA can improve early reading skills of children aged 5-6 years. This study uses the Classroom Action research design. 17 children in RA AN-NIDA aged 5-6 years were study participants. Considering the findings of the study, which according to the pre-test results, only two children showed growth. With a classical proportion of 11%, the average score achieved was 1.70, indicating that the other 15 children were not yet developed. (2) Only ten children made progress in the first cycle, while seven additional children, with an average score of 2.64 and a classical proportion of 58%, had not. Then, with an average score of 3 and a classical development percentage of 100%, there were 17 children who had developed in the second cycle, compared to 0 who had not developed. According to the information above, audiovisual media can help children who are five or six years old with their initial reading ability

Pengembangan Game Ular Tangga dengan Kartu Baca Untuk Meningkatkan Kemampuan Membaca Permulaan Kelas 2 SD Plosojenar

The aim of this research is to develop and determine the feasibility of learning media in the form of snakes and ladders in class 2 of SD N Plosojenar. This research uses the Borg and Gall model, which is a method or step for creating new products or developing and perfecting existing products. The subjects of this research were 13 grade 2 students at SD N Plosojenar. Data collection techniques include observation, interviews, pre and post test methods, as well as teacher and student responses. The type of data is qualitative and quantitative data which contains evaluation category criteria to determine product suitability. The results of this research are as follows: 1). Snakes and Ladders media was also developed. 2). The teacher's response to snake media was with a score of 4.82. Based on calculations based on the teacher's response, it can be concluded that the snakes and ladders game media is "very feasible" and the students' response to the snakes and ladders media is an increase in students' interest in participating in learning. 3) The students' pretest score obtained an average of 50 and after being given treatment the posttest score increased to an average of 74.09. In the same pre and post test there was an increase in learning outcomes of 24.09. Thus, Snakes and Ladders for grade 2 students at SDN Plosojenar was declared suitable for use and could improve their early reading skills in grade 2.

Phonological Awareness and Its Role in Literacy Development among Elementary School Children in Brazil

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the phonological awareness and its role in literacy development among elementary school children in Brazil. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Phonological awareness plays a crucial role in literacy development among elementary school children in Brazil, as evidenced by several key findings. It significantly correlates with early reading skills, including decoding and word recognition, fostering better comprehension abilities as children progress academically. Effective phonological awareness instruction enhances spelling and writing skills, contributing to overall language proficiency in Portuguese. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Cognitive-developmental theory (Piaget), connectionist theory (Rumelhart and McClelland) & socio-cultural theory (Vygotsky) may be used to anchor future studies on the phonological awareness and its role in literacy development among elementary school children in Brazil. Educators in Brazil should prioritize early and systematic phonological awareness instruction in literacy programs. Education policies in Brazil should advocate for comprehensive literacy frameworks that recognize phonological awareness as a foundational skill.

Pengaruh Permainan Mobil Kata Terhadap Keterampilan Membaca Permulaan Anak Di Taman Kanak-Kanak Qatrinnada Kota Padang

This study aims to determine the effect of word car games on children's early reading skills at Qatrinnada Kindergarten, Padang City. This research is a type of quantitative research with experimental methods. The samples were B2 and B3 grade children, which served as experimental and control classes with each class totaling 15 children. The results of data analysis showed that the average score of the experimental class pre-test was 24.60 and the post-test was 26.26. While the average score of the control class pre-test was 22.46 and the post-test was 23.53. Based on the results of the hypothesis test, it shows that the sig value (2-tailed) is 0.003 <0.05, so it can be concluded that the word car game has an effect on children's reading skills at Qatrinnada Kindergarten, Padang City.

How relations between early reading skills and third-grade mathematics outcomes vary across distribution: A quantile regression approach.

Early reading skills are critical for later academic outcomes, which include mathematics. Yet, these relations may vary by a child's ability level. This study examined how early reading skills relate to different levels of third-grade mathematics. The samples included 105 same-sex twin pairs (210 individuals, 57% female, 43% male) from the ongoing longitudinal Western Reserve Reading and Math Projects, assessed at kindergarten (M = 6.18, SD = 0.44) and third grade (M = 9.07, SD = 0.49). Kindergarten reading measures consisted of the Letter Identification task from the Woodcock Reading Mastery Test-Revised Normative Update, the Deletion subtests from Phonological Awareness Test, and the Letter Naming Fluency task from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills; third-grade math measures included Calculation, Fluency, Applied Problem, and Quantitative Concepts subtests of Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement. Both linear and quantile regressions were conducted using reading measures as predictors and math measures as the dependent variables. Linear regressions indicated that the Deletion Summary Score was a unique predictor of Applied Problems, and Letter Naming Fluency was a significant and unique predictor of Calculation Fluency and Quantitative Concepts. Quantile regressions provided a more thorough analysis of these relations. It was found that Letter Naming Fluency was significantly associated with Calculation, Calculation Fluency, and Quantitative Concepts at the lower level. The Deletion Summary Score had relatively stable relations with Applied Problems across all levels. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for How Relations Between Early Reading Skills and Third-Grade Mathematics Outcomes Vary Across Distribution: A Quantile Regression Approach

Supplemental Material for How Relations Between Early Reading Skills and Third-Grade Mathematics Outcomes Vary Across Distribution: A Quantile Regression Approach

Fostering Inference-Making Through Video-Based Technology in Young Children With Early Reading Difficulties

Successful comprehension is only possible when children draw inferences about ideas implicit or missing in discourse. Supporting inference-making with explicit instruction must start early given its importance in comprehension and knowledge development. However, students who experience difficulties with early reading skills often do not receive adequate instructional support for inference-making because oftentimes inference-making is taught in the context of written texts. In this article, we describe the potential of using video-based technology in teaching inference-making in young students who experience difficulties in early reading skills. First, we discuss why inference-making is crucial for comprehension and elaborate on a theoretical framework that addresses how video-based technology can support inference-making independent of basic reading skills. Next, we share our experiences designing web-based software featuring interactive videos. Finally, we describe how teachers can design their own inference instruction using video-based technology to support young students with difficulties in comprehension and basic reading skills.

Linguistic and Auditory Assessment: An Effort to Improve the Beginning Reading Ability of Dyslexic Children in Grade IV at Elementary School Level

This study describes the implementation of linguistic and auditory awareness assessment in improving dyslexic children's early reading skills. The factors studied include linguistic (phoneme, morphology, orthography) and auditory (phoneme, morpheme, semantic, syntax) awareness, which are important in the early reading process. The research method was descriptive qualitative, with one 10-year-old student subject from grade 4. The assessment phase involved classical identification with learning instruments from grade 4 to grade 1, as well as a pre-early reading assessment focusing on linguistic and auditory awareness. Results showed significant linguistic awareness (33.59%) and auditory awareness (60%) influence reading ability. Phoneme and morphology aspects affect reading ability in terms of linguistics, while morphemes and syntax are significant in auditoris.