Literacy Experiences Research Articles

Mothers’ educational level and literacy beliefs: associations with home literacy experiences

ABSTRACT This study intends to extend previous work by examining associations between literacy-related beliefs and home literacy experiences during the transition from preschool to Grade 1, taking maternal education into consideration. Fifty-seven Portuguese children and their mothers participated. Data about families’ sociodemographic characteristics, home literacy environment, mothers’ interactive behaviours during storybook reading, and mothers’ literacy beliefs were collected in two moments during home visits. Overall results indicate that mothers’ educational level and literacy beliefs are variables of particular interest for understanding home literacy experiences. Together, mothers’ educational level and literacy beliefs explained a moderate proportion of the variance in reported and observed home literacy experiences, when children were at the end of preschool education, and one year later, when children were at the end of Grade 1. Moreover, findings reveal that mothers’ literacy beliefs contribute independently to the quantity and quality of home literacy experiences after controlling for maternal education. These findings have implications for professionals who have the responsibility of working with families to increase the likelihood of academic success, particularly in contexts that serve children at-risk for reading failure.

Digital inclusion and participation of people with intellectual disabilities during COVID‐19: A rapid review and international bricolage

AbstractThe COVID‐19 pandemic has meant a rapid transfer of everyday activities to the online world. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become more embedded than ever in people's lives. This investigation addresses how this change has affected the lives of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). A two‐step design was used. A rapid review was conducted on empirical studies published between January 2019 and June 2021. Search terms related to ID, ICT use and COVID‐19. A qualitative international bricolage was also conducted corresponding to author nationalities. Data gathered from the review and bricolage were analysed separately using thematic analysis and relationally synthesised. Digital solutions to provide access to COVID‐19 information and guidance seemed inadequate but were seldom empirically studied. Digital poverty, literacy and exclusion remain significant issues for people with ID internationally. People and their carers experienced reduced and removed service provision, loneliness and impoverished daily lives during the pandemic; amelioration of which was facilitated by digital solutions. One solution often used was videoconferencing. Prior experience of digital participation, adequate finances, connection, support and digital literacy mentoring for both people with ID and those providing services and support facilitated digital inclusion. Digital exclusion during COVID‐19 was exacerbated by sociopolitical, structural, individual and support‐related barriers. Although awareness of digital exclusion appears to have been raised, the extent to which this has led to action and change remains unclear. Despite digital exclusion and digital participation benefitting continuation of life, social and emotional well‐being and autonomy, COVID‐19 has not provided the impetus to eradicate digital poverty for people with ID. Governmental support, digital education, creativity and problem solving are required to enable people with ID the human right to be included in the digital world at this essential time and into the future.

Examining Associations Between Preschool Home Literacy Experiences, Language, Cognition And Early Word Reading: Evidence From A Longitudinal Study

ABSTRACT Research Findings: The study investigated whether preschool code-related home literacy experiences had direct associations with regular and irregular word reading in the first year of primary school as well as exploring whether there were indirect associations between these experiences and later word reading via children’s language skills or inhibitory control. The parents of 274 preschool children completed a home learning questionnaire at time 1 (Mage = 3:11). At time 2, the children completed phonological awareness, vocabulary, inhibitory control and nonverbal reasoning assessments (Mage = 4:3) and at time 3 a word reading assessment (Mage = 5:3). Letter-sound interactions (a code-related home literacy index that included discussions about letter-sound associations) bore significant associations with children’s word reading, whereas letter activities (a code-related index that was less focussed on letter-sound links) did not. Path analyses indicated that letter-sound interactions directly predicted regular word reading and predicted regular and irregular word reading indirectly via children’s phonological awareness. These findings highlight that different aspects of code-related home literacy experiences are differentially associated with later word reading skills. Practice and Policy: The findings suggest that parents’ integration of interactive, age-appropriate discussions that focus on letter-sound associations into children’s everyday experiences may support emerging word decoding skills.

How Does Toddlers' Engagement in Literacy Activities Influence Their Language Abilities?

The most intensive period of language development is during the first years of life, during which the brain is developing rapidly. Research has shown that children from disadvantaged households who received high-quality stimulation at a young age grew into adults who earned an average of 25% more than those who did not receive these interventions. In addition, it has been suggested that children who show a greater interest in literacy-related activities and voluntarily engage in them are likely to become better readers than children with less interest in literacy. These children’s factors, along with their engagement in literacy activities, are important components in children’s early literacy experiences and may affect their early language development. In this study, we examined associations among maternal education, home literacy environment (HLE), children’s interest and engagement in literacy activities, and language development of 44 toddlers aged between 20 and 36 months. Overall, results showed that only children’s engagement in literacy activities was related to vocabulary and morphosyntactic skills, whereas maternal education, HLE, and children’s interests were not. These results suggest that taking advantage of individual children’s interests by planning activities in which children are fully engaged, may be effective strategies for promoting children’s oral language development.

'Acá la gente firma cualquier cosa': La importancia del taller de alfabetización jurídica en una cárcel de la provincia de Buenos Aires

This paper describes and analyzes a legal literacy experience carried out by alphabetizers prisoners who selected judicial writings as useful knowledge in the prison context. Through an ethnographic approach, I intend to show what were the urgencies to propose this content, how it was presented and what was its reception by the students. Reflective social relationships and formative experiences were promoted in the workshop that, even without succeeding in subverting the power asymmetries that characterize the Penal System, allowed them to resist their violence.

In-service teachers’ challenges to implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in Chile

The present study reports on the challenges of implementing an approach to critical thinking and critical reading in English language teaching (ELT) in Chile. Participants in this research are in-service teachers of English enrolled in a Master’s course in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) in Chile. In order to develop and construct a thorough understanding of the participants’ past and present academic literacy experiences, they were invited for one-to-one meetings (semi-structured interviews) where, rather than reminiscing about past literacy experiences, they were encouraged to engage in narratives about their experiences with and challenges of developing a socially critical awareness of literacy at university, and in their current teaching practices. Analysis of the participants’ accounts revealed, first and foremost, the pervasive presence of literacy practices that reflect and favor a strong culture of compliance over critical reflection, and, secondly, great concerns about the lack of systematic preparation in English teacher education (ETE) programs to develop and implement a more critical stance toward critical thinking and critical reading. The paper concludes by interrogating and challenging current university practices that, based on the participants’ views, seem to replicate a culture that reproduces both social and cultural inequalities.

The Effectiveness of Using Big Book Media on Early Reading Skills in 5-6 Years Old

Purpose – This study aims to determine the effectiveness of using Big Book media on early reading skills in children aged 5-6 years old.Design/methods/approach – This study used a quantitative approach which was carried out in an experimental method with a pre-post-test design. The sampling technique uses a simple random technique with 30 children. Data collection technique is by means of tests. The analysis technique for testing the hypothesis uses the difference test (t-test).Findings – The results showed that children in the experimental group who used Big Book media had a higher average score when compared to children in the control group who used magazine media. Based on the t-test calculation, findings indicate that there was a significant difference between the two groups. Thus, it can be concluded that the Big Book media is effective on early reading skills in children aged 5-6 years old.Research implications/limitations – This study was limited to one location, Mutiara Al-Madani Kindergarten, Jambi Indonesia, and with a small sample size, so the generalizability of the findings was also limited. It is necessary for future researchers to conduct studies with a wider scope and a more diverse population.Practical implications – The use of Big Book media can be an alternative learning media that can attract children's interests and can actively involve children in gaining rich literacy experiences in improving early reading skills.Originality/value – This study contributes to understanding of teacher's reference material in using learning media for early reading skills in children aged 5-6 years old.
 Paper type Research paper

“Just Bring Me Some Books to Read”: Exploring Parental Literacy Narratives Within the Dis/ability Community

AbstractParents of individuals with dis/abilities often grapple with their child’s dis/ability, as parents mediate their own experiences surrounding dis/ability. This research specifically investigates the literacy narratives in which parents reveal the literacy tools and practices they engaged with and in to aid in forming their own conceptions of dis/ability. Through narrative inquiry, three interviews with parents of children with dis/abilities were analyzed using postconventional perspectives of dis/ability to highlight the destabilization and multifaceted nature of dis/ability and the dis/ability experience. Findings drawn from parents’ literacy narratives suggest that parents have literacy experiences that stretch well beyond themselves and their immediate families and into the larger dis/ability community. Implications show that more pedagogical and communal resources are needed to support parents within the dis/ability community, as they search for ways to connect with others for emotional and educational purposes.

“She Looks Like Me”: Putting High-Quality Multicultural Literature in Children’s Hands During COVID-19

ABSTRACT Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, children, families, and educators faced unprecedented challenges that disproportionally impacted racially/ethnically diverse, low-income communities due to long-standing health system, socioeconomic, and educational inequities. With closures of schools, libraries, and child-care centers, many children were disconnected from the community and did not have access to books. Parents’ and educators’ concerns centered around children falling behind academically and socially. Therefore, in partnership with an afterschool center, we purchased and distributed 410 high-quality, multicultural books to children and families. Case study design explored: (1) how this access to multicultural books influenced the CARC children’s home-based literacy experiences and their responses to the texts; and (2) the challenges of parents/caregivers in supporting their child’s literacy needs during a global crisis. We described how we selected high-quality multicultural literature book sets. We identified three themes: (1) enjoyment, appreciation, and learning; (2) relevance of multicultural literature to children’s lives and identities; (3) difficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this collaboration, we increased access to multicultural books for children living in a low-socioeconomic and African American community. Our book distribution project positively impacted the children and families in this underserved community.

Guatemalan Adolescents' Hopes and Dreams

Abstract. Utilizing adolescents' drawings to investigate their perceptions of self has a long history in psychology. The methodological approach is particularly useful in places, such as Guatemala, where the population may have relatively lower levels of literacy and/or less experience engaging with Western-style research surveys. By asking adolescents to draw a picture of themselves and list five characteristics that they hope to have in 15 years, we were able to collect valuable data on issues such as the students' desires for the future and what they see as possible for themselves. Participants ( N = 81, M age = 14.56 years, 49.4% cisgender girls, all from Jocotenango, Guatemala) provided five characteristics that they hoped to have 15 years in the future and then drew a self-portrait of themselves 15 years in the future. The drawings and characteristics underwent a process of thematic analysis to determine patterns and themes that are prevalent in the data. Common themes that emerged include jobs or specific professions they hope to have, owning a home or property such as a car, and having a family. In the drawings, the common themes are similar: mentioning specific careers, owning a home or property, and having a family. These data can help us determine what type of future these students hope for to ensure that schools and other institutions are providing the tools students will need for those futures.

Nurturing the reading brain: home literacy practices are associated with children\u2019s neural response to printed words through vocabulary skills

Previous studies indicate that children are exposed to different literacy experiences at home. Although these disparities have been shown to affect children’s literacy skills, it remains unclear whether and how home literacy practices influence brain activity underlying word-level reading. In the present study, we asked parents of French children from various socioeconomic backgrounds (n = 66; 8.46 ± 0.36 years, range 7.52–9.22; 20 girls) to report the frequency of home literacy practices. Neural adaptation to the repetition of printed words was then measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in a subset of these children (n = 44; 8.49 ± 0.33 years, range 8.02–9.14; 13 girls), thereby assessing how sensitive was the brain to the repeated presentation of these words. We found that more frequent home literacy practices were associated with enhanced word adaptation in the left posterior inferior frontal sulcus (r = 0.32). We also found that the frequency of home literacy practices was associated with children’s vocabulary skill (r = 0.25), which itself influenced the relation between home literacy practices and neural adaptation to words. Finally, none of these effects were observed in a digit adaptation task, highlighting their specificity to word recognition. These findings are consistent with a model positing that home literacy experiences may improve children’s vocabulary skill, which in turn may influence the neural mechanisms supporting word-level reading.

Experiences of information literacy and mobile technologies amongst undergraduates in times of COVID. A qualitative approach

Purpose The purpose of this article is to analyse the social science students' perceptions of information literacy (IL) and the use of mobile technologies (MTs) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approach Exploratory focus group methodology involving 18 Information Science and Education undergraduates.Findings Students believe that, above all, an information literate person must know how to search for information. Being able to recognise acceptable levels of IL and MT competencies/skills enabled them to detect the scant contribution of the university to IL and the poor support from the library. They routinely use information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the classroom for assignments, presentations, searching and administrative tasks. Conversely, they consider their teachers' competency in the use of mobile devices for academic tasks could be improved. The increase in these shortcomings during the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed students to discover most teachers' attitudinal and technical limitations. Students' suggestions mostly point to improving platforms, teaching methods, teacher motivation and teachers/librarians interaction.Research limitations/implications Research is limited to several IL/MT-related concepts, one university and two degrees. It could be applied in other contexts, larger samples and other stakeholders such as librarians and teachers.Practical implications Need for more IL and TM instruction for students/teachers and greater interaction amongst them and with the library. The authors suggest promoting interdisciplinary seminars on the importance of IL and awareness sessions on ICT for learning.Originality/value This case study addresses students' critical/exceptional experience triggered by the pandemic.

Preschool aged child’s literacy experience through everyday play in the home: A creative pathway to early literacy learning.

Two major events have brought research on preschool aged children to the centre of educational research in Nigeria. First, Nigeria is a signatory to the United Nations Convention, which is leading a campaign for the adoption and ratification of the Rights of the child. Secondly, the introduction of early childhood education in tertiary teacher training programmes has pointed to the need for quality research in the diverse fields of early childhood studies. One area that is yet to receive enough research attention relates to doing early literacy research in the home, in particular, with preschool aged children in the context of play. Using the empirical context of a six-week study of a 4-year-old preschool child in her home in Jos Plateau State, this paper studies how the child’s engagement in play enriched her early literacy learning. The study adopts participant observation and interview methods to collect data from multiple sources in the child’s home. Theoretically, the study is framed on an eco-cultural approach on child-initiated play and learning with accessible literacy resources. The theoretical framework enabled the identification of the learning opportunities in the home and the child’s capacity to act independently. It was also useful for studying the parents’ ethnotheories and support for learning in the home. Using thematic analysis, the findings indicate the child was critically engaged with hybrid traditions of literacy- texts and representations. The paper has implications for policy on partnering with parents for children’s literacy development.

A STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF EFL TEACHERS’ USE OF THE BIG6 ON LEARNERS’ ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING / NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA VIỆC SỬ DỤNG BIG6 CỦA GIÁO VIÊN EFL ĐỐI VỚI KHẢ NĂNG VIẾT LUẬN CỦA NGƯỜI HỌC

Information literacy has proved to be one of the factors that help learners increase their writing academic in higher education institutions around the world. Therefore, developing information literacy curriculum for learners who speak English as a foreign language is of critical concern for librarians and English as a Foreign Language: EFL educators. However, in general, there is limited research about learners' information literacy experiences in English writing educational contexts. Therefore, this research fills a gap in the research, as it focuses on investigating the effects of EFL teachers’ use of the Information literacy model - Big6 on learners' argumentative writing. In this research, a mixed method combined both quantitative and qualitative designs was conducted to collect and analyze the data, including a pre-test and a post-test, questionnaires, classroom observations and semi- structured interviews. The findings show that there is a statistically significant difference between the writing performances at two time points of the experimental group who was taught English with information literacy skills. In addition, the findings indicate that EFL teachers and learners became more aware of the integration of information literacy skills into their teaching argumentative writing to learners. Key issues about training provision in this area were examined, and options of developing information literacy support for EFL learners were also discussed.
 
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7.F. Workshop: Health literacy in the European Region: a summary of survey results and policy recommendations

Abstract As the European Health Literacy Survey HLS-EU (2009-2012) and experience in many countries has shown, measuring population health literacy is important for putting health literacy on the agenda of health policy, practice and research and to inform health policy where there is specific need for improving health literacy by interventions. For the Health Literacy Survey 2019 of WHÓs Action network on Measuring Population and Organizational Health Literacy (M-POHL), the HLS19-Q12 instrument on measuring comprehensive general health literacy (HL) of general adult populations was developed, building on the HLS-EU instrument. Furthermore, specific instruments have been developed for measuring digital, communication, navigation, and vaccination health literacy. The survey was implemented in 17 countries in the European Regions of the World Health Organization with representative national samples of above 1000 respondents, between 2019 and 2021. This workshop with two presentations and 3 panelists will present methodology and main results of the European Health Literacy Survey 2019 and recommendations for health policy based on the results of the survey. The first presentation “The European Health Literacy Survey 2019 of M-POHL: a summary of its main results” will focus on construction, validation, and distribution of the scores and categorial levels of the HLS19-Q12 instrument. Results social gradient and on selected determinants of HL measures and consequences of general HL in the areas of health behaviors and life stye, health status and healthcare utilization will be shown. Overall trends in HL in the participating countries and variation between these countries will be provided. The second presentation “Policy recommendations for improving health literacy: based on European Health Literacy Survey 2019” will present procedure and outcome of drafting recommendations for policy implementations in Europe based on the survey results by the M-POHL consortium. Speakers/Panelists Kristine Sørensen Global Health Literacy Academy, Health Literacy Europe, Aarhus, Denmark Miguel Arriaga Division of Literacy, Health and Well-being, Directorate-General on Health, Lisbon, Portugal Maria Lopatina National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive, Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Moscow, Russia Key messages Measurement of health literacy of adult populations of 17 countries in the European region by the HLS19 study shows general trends and considerable variation by country. Results of the HLS19 study were a good basis for developing policy recommendations for improving health literacy in Europe.

Language and Literacy Practices in Teacher Education: Contributions from a Local Agenda

Language and literacy practices in teacher education are decisive in the education of future language teachers. In this article, I share my beliefs as a teacher educator about language and literacy practices constructed with teachers in Bogota. Thus, my intention is to weave my professional narrative through the connections I can make from theory and praxis to explain teachers´ understandings of language and literacy through their life and literacy experiences and the way they organize their practice as language teachers. My research trajectory of thirty years documenting the local literacy practices within the research area of literacy studies and local pedagogies for social transformation has significantly informed my practice. University-school partnerships and international collaborations for research and teaching in Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Manchester, in the USA, and Dundee, in the UK, have nurtured me personally and professionally. My understanding of literacy as a social practice evolved to critical literacies and I developed knowledge in community pedagogies and city semiotic landscapes through reflections and collaborations via working with teachers. Community-based pedagogies (CBPs) invite teachers to see their life and work in relation to places they live and teach as meaningful content for linguistic, social, cultural, ecological, and economic resources to inspire students´ inquiries and teachers´ transformative practices. The city semiotic landscapes are powerful literacies for language learning; therefore, they currently adhere to the research group´s agenda (2019-2021). I describe my understandings, contributions, and suggestions as concerns in the field of teacher education in Colombia. My conclusions raise awareness about the need to address these topics in teacher education programs in Colombia.

Literacy can enhance syntactic prediction in spoken language processing.

Language comprehenders can use syntactic cues to generate predictions online about upcoming language. Previous research with reading-impaired adults and healthy, low-proficiency adult and child learners suggests that reading skills are related to prediction in spoken language comprehension. Here, we investigated whether differences in literacy are also related to predictive spoken language processing in non-reading-impaired proficient adult readers with varying levels of literacy experience. Using the visual world paradigm enabled us to measure prediction based on syntactic cues in the spoken sentence, prior to the (predicted) target word. Literacy experience was found to be the strongest predictor of target anticipation, independent of general cognitive abilities. These findings suggest that (a) experience with written language can enhance syntactic prediction of spoken language in normal adult language users and (b) processing skills can be transferred to related tasks (from reading to listening) if the domains involve similar processes (e.g., predictive dependencies) and representations (e.g., syntactic). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

COVID-19 and college students: health literacy experiences and training needs

Objective To explore health literacy (HL) experiences, needs, and future training directions among college students enrolled in health-related degree programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants Students (n = 169) enrolled in a health-related degree program at a state university in the mid-western U.S. completed an online survey. Methods Forty-five questions were developed assessing: (1) demographics; (2) HL; (3) health behaviors; (4) health/well-being; and (5) academic/financial impacts. A HL score across four domains (access, understand, appraise, apply) was calculated. Participants were categorized as having sufficient or insufficient HL. Associations between HL and categorical variables were tested (Chi-square/Fisher’s exact tests). Comparisons between sufficient and insufficient HL were performed (Wilcoxon rank-sum tests). Results Participants had sufficient (55.6%) and insufficient (44.4%) HL. Age was statistically significant with HL (p < 0.5). The top three future training needs were identified (psychological impact, diagnostic/prevention/treatment, racial/ethnic disparities). Conclusions Emerging health professionals reported sufficient HL, yet information gaps and training needs remain.

Latina Voice in Dialogue with Literacy

ABSTRACT This study follows the literacy experiences of four Latina middle schoolers as they read Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird and compose home language narratives in their heritage voices. Both their vibrant ethnic cultures and other intersecting rays of identities are analyzed in the vein of their literate identities. Through analysis of their writing and speech, the girls present hybridized identities on the border between cultures and languages. Their position and identities in the social world of middle school are discussed and how transactions with literacy can dialogically influence those identities to enact critically conscious pedagogy.

The importance of health literacy for self-management: A scoping review of reviews.

Self-management of chronic diseases is rather complex, especially for patients with limited health literacy. In this review, we aim to disentangle the specific difficulties patients with limited health literacy face in relation to self-management and their associated needs with respect to self-management support. We performed a literature search in five databases. We used a broad definition of health literacy and self-management was categorized into four types of activities: medical management, changing lifestyle, communicating and navigating through the health care system and coping. Included reviews described the relationship between health literacy and different domains of self-management and were published after 2010. A total of 28 reviews were included. Some clear difficulties of patients with limited health literacy emerged, predominantly in the area of medical management (especially adherence), communication and knowledge. Other associations between health literacy and self-management were inconclusive. Barriers from the patients' perspective described mainly medical management and the communication and navigation of the health care system. Patients with limited health literacy experience difficulties with specific domains of self-management. For a better understanding of the relationship between health literacy and self-management, a broader conceptualization of health literacy is warranted, including both cognitive and behavioural aspects.