Literacy Experiences Research Articles

The relationship between the home literacy environment and development of orthographic skills in Chinese beginning readers

Within the framework of the home literacy model, this study investigated the relationship between home formal and informal literacy experiences and the development of orthographic skills among Chinese beginning readers. A total of 143 children and their parents participated in the study, with parents completing questionnaires on family background and home literacy environment, and children completing orthography identification and selection tasks. The results indicated that children who had just entered primary school could differentiate character-like stimuli from non-character-like stimuli and exhibited some knowledge of radicals and awareness of radical positions. Both home formal and informal literacy experiences were significantly correlated with children’s performance in various orthographic skills. However, after controlling for factors such as children’s age, gender, parents’ education, and family income, and simultaneously considering both formal and informal literacy experiences, only the informal literacy environment significantly predicted children’s performance on various orthographic skills. These findings suggest that home literacy environments, particularly informal home literacy experiences, play a crucial role in supporting the development of children’s orthographic skills.

Evaluating Experiences in a Digital Nutrition Education Program for People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Qualitative Study.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex immune-mediated disease with no currently known cure. There is growing evidence to support the role of diet in reducing some of the symptoms and disease progression in MS, and we previously developed and tested the feasibility of a digital nutrition education program for people with MS. The aim of this study was to explore factors that influenced engagement in the digital nutrition education program, including features influencing capability, opportunity and motivation to change their dietary behaviours. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with people who had MS, and who completed some or all of the program until data saturation was reached. Interviews were analysed inductively using thematic analysis. Themes were deductively mapped against the COM-B (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour) behaviour change model. Sixteen interviews were conducted with participants who completed all (n = 10) or some of the program (n = 6). Four themes emerged: (1) acquiring and validating nutrition knowledge; (2) influence of time and social support; (3) getting in early to improve health and (4) accounting for food literacy experiences. This is the first online nutrition program with suitable behavioural supports for people with MS. It highlights the importance of disease-specific and evidence-based nutrition education to support people with MS to make dietary changes. Acquiring nutrition knowledge, coupled with practical support mechanisms, such as recipe booklets and goal setting, emerged as crucial for facilitating engagement with the program. When designing education programs for people with MS and other neurological conditions, healthcare professionals and program designers should consider flexible delivery and building peer support to address the needs and challenges faced by participants. Members of the MS Nutrition Research Program Stakeholder Reference Group, which includes people with MS and MS health professionals, provided input during the development of the nutrition education program and study design stages.

Exploring the Literacy Experiences of Preservice Early Childhood Teachers: Social and Contextual Influences, and Implications for Teacher Education

Considering that early literacy (reading and writing) is critical for later literacy and academic success, this study investigated the social and contextual influences on the early and current literacy experiences of 70 preservice early childhood teachers in the United States through a questionnaire. Analyses of both quantitative and qualitative data revealed eight key findings: First, the strongest influence on these individuals’ early literacy development was parents, followed by teachers. Second, their current literacy experiences were shaped primarily by professors/academic work followed by self-motivation. Third, nearly half of the preservice teachers regarded themselves as average readers and writers. While the majority of them enjoyed reading and more than half also enjoyed writing, those who lacked such enjoyment provided various reasons, especially citing insufficient intrinsic motivation, limited time for reading, and inadequate writing skills or ideas. Fourth, most of them prioritized their literacy time to fulfill academic requirements. Fifth, most devoted a limited amount of time to literacy activities. Sixth, there was a relatively strong positive correlation between reading fluency and writing fluency. Seventh, a positive correlation was found between years in college and writing fluency. Eighth, there was a negative correlation between grade point average and time spent writing per week.

Is Chinese Dyslexia Similar Across Chinese Societies? Evidence from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei

AbstractWhile previous research has documented the unique aspects of Chinese dyslexia as compared to dyslexia in alphabetic scripts, it remains unclear whether the difference in Chinese literacy experiences influences the manifestation of Chinese dyslexia. The present article first reviews the characteristics of Chinese languages and scripts, including important cognitive‐linguistic correlates (rapid automatized naming, phonological, orthographic, and morphological awareness) of Chinese reading development and impairment. The diversity in Chinese literacy experiences of scripts, languages, and instructional practices, and consequently their impact on Chinese literacy acquisition across different Chinese societies are also reviewed. Using an equivalent Chinese assessment battery administered to 91 children with dyslexia from Hong Kong, Beijing, and Taipei, we examined the subtypes of Chinese dyslexia across these three societies concurrently. With the four cognitive‐linguistic skills included as the clustering variable, the hierarchical cluster analysis revealed four cognitive subtypes of dyslexia: 38% mild orthographic deficit subtype (OD), 33% phonological deficit subtype (PD), 18% morphological deficit subtype (MD), and 11% global deficit subtype (GD)—each with their own set of cognitive‐linguistic deficit profiles. Interestingly, all four subtypes of dyslexia manifested poorer orthographic skills as compared to the control group. Bayesian Analysis of Contingency Table further showed that the distribution of dyslexia subtypes remains similar across the three Chinese societies, suggesting invariance of the Chinese dyslexia construct. Findings highlight the importance of assessment in orthographic processing, rapid automatized naming, phonological awareness, and morphological awareness in order to understand Chinese dyslexia, both in a within and cross‐cultural Chinese perspective.

Understanding the Health Literacy Experiences and Practices of Australian-Resettled Myanmar Refugees: Relevance for Nutrition and Dietetics Practice.

Background/Objectives: Refugees typically experience poorer health compared with people from non-refugee backgrounds, and health literacy may play a part in this discrepancy. Using the WHO's revised health literacy definitions as a framework, this qualitative study sought to examine the health literacy experiences and practices of Australian resettled refugees from Myanmar from refugee and service provider perspectives. Methods: Four refugee participant focus groups (n = 27) along with one focus group and four interviews with service providers (n = 7) were conducted in Melbourne, Australia, and analysed using deductive content analysis. Results: Our study found that in addition to individual health literacy, community literacy was practiced by Myanmar refugees, thus highlighting the relevance of social support to health literacy. Furthermore, our study found gaps in healthcare service provision and resourcing related to health literacy development and responsiveness by the healthcare system. Conclusions: Our study confirms the relevance of WHO's revised health literacy definitions to Myanmar refugees while also discussing, in the context of nutrition and dietetics practice, the importance of understanding the different aspects of health literacy and how this relates to working with those who are most marginalised to improve their health and wellbeing.

Postdigital Literacies in Everyday Life and Pedagogic Practices

In this article, we contribute to literacy and education studies by proposing three overarching features (elements) of postdigital literacy events, informed by an ecological, relational, and sociomaterial framing of literacy. These features are: (1) entanglement, (2) digital materiality, and (3) spatiotemporality. Entanglement is about how learning entangles with our social, cultural, and material contexts through communicative acts, which include an understanding of media entanglements through interface seams(/seaminess) and transmediality. Digital materiality reminds us that digital media are also material, including notions of digital matter, instantiation, representation, and significance. The feature of spatiotemporality accounts for spatiotemporal flow and presence across online/offline environments, concerned with postdigital reconfigurations of time, space, and place. All three elements incorporate challenges around equity, power, and values. We also advance theory-in-practice by providing examples of how postdigital literacy features/elements manifest in pedagogy and everyday life, based on our experiences as academics working in diverse contexts. This work can support international research, teaching, and knowledge around how media practices interrelate through postdigital communication and literacy experiences, what that means, and with what effects, within a vision of education for mutually enriching planetary futures.

Interest in and Willingness to Use PrEP: A Cross-Sectional Study of Individuals with Problematic Substance Use Residing in a High HIV Prevalence Jurisdiction

Although it is an effective HIV prevention method, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is underutilized in the Southern US. Many people who use drugs (PWUD) have increased susceptibility to HIV which could be lessened by using PrEP. Potential barriers to PrEP use include lack of awareness of PrEP, low knowledge about HIV prevention, low self-efficacy for HIV prevention, inaccurate risk perceptions, and anticipated stigma. The current study examined predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors that may predict interest in PrEP. The purpose of the current study was to explore factors associated with interest in and willingness to use daily oral and long acting injectable PrEP among sexually active adult PWUD. The data were collected from adult participants (n = 270) residing in Harris County, TX, who self-reported problematic substance use and who reported oral, anal, or vaginal sex in the six months prior to completing the survey. The survey was distributed and completed online via Qualtrics Panels in March of 2022 and included measures of PrEP and HIV knowledge, PrEP stigma, sexual health self-efficacy, experiences of discrimination, health literacy, and medical mistrust. The majority of participants reported circumstances or behaviors that increased their susceptibility to HIV. Findings indicated that PrEP user stereotypes and PrEP anticipated disapproval by others were associated with interest in using daily oral PrEP and willingness to use long acting injectable PrEP. These results provide insight into reasons for low PrEP uptake among PWUD who live in a high HIV prevalence jurisdiction. Implications for HIV prevention intervention are discussed.

COVID-19 vaccine mistrust, health literacy, conspiracy theories, and racial discrimination among a representative ethnically diverse sample in Canada: The vulnerability of Arab, Asian, Black, and Indigenous peoples.

Despite increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2infections and higher rates of COVID-19-related complications, racialized and Indigenous communities in Canada have lower immunization uptake compared to White individuals. However, there is woeful lack of data on predictors of COVID-19 vaccine mistrust (VM) that accounts for diverse social and cultural contexts within specific racialized and Indigenous communities. Therefore, we sought to characterize COVID-19 VM among Arab, Asian, Black, and Indigenous communities in Canada. An online survey was administered to a nationally representative, ethnically diverse panel of participants in October 2023. Arabic, Asian, Indigenous, and Black respondents were enriched in the sampling panel. Data were collected on demographics, COVID-19 VM, experience of racial discrimination, health literacy, and conspiracy beliefs. We used descriptive and regression analyses to determine the extent and predictors of COVID-19 VM among racialized and Indigenous individuals. All racialized respondents had higher VM score compared to White participants. Among 4220 respondents, we observed highest VM among Black individuals (12.18; ±4.24), followed by Arabic (12.12; ±4.60), Indigenous (11.84; ±5.18), Asian (10.61; ±4.28), and White (9.58; ±5.00) participants. In the hierarchical linear regression analyses, Black participants, women, everyday racial discrimination, and major experience of discrimination were positively associated with COVID-19 VM. Effects of racial discrimination were mediated by addition of conspiracy beliefs to the model. Racialized and Indigenous communities experience varying levels of COVID-19 VM and carry specific predictors and mediators to development of VM. This underscores the intricate interaction between race, gender, discrimination, and VM that need to be considered in future vaccination campaigns.

Διερεύνηση των αντιλήψεων και των πρακτικών των νηπιαγωγών του νομού Μαγνησίας αναφορικά με την ανάπτυξη γραμματισμού των νηπίων και σύγκριση των πρακτικών με αυτές του Νέου Αναλυτικού Προγράμματος

In modern curricula the teaching of reading and writing is central. A key position in the New Curriculum of preschool education is the term emerging literacy through which the knowledge and skills about literacy that each child acquires from birth until he begins to be taught to read and write in a conventional way. The purpose of the research was to investigate the perceptions and practices of kindergarten teachers in the prefecture of Magnesia regarding the development of literacy and to highlight whether their practices are in line with the New Curriculum. The results showed that kindergarten teachers recognize the importance and necessity of planning and implementing activities in the context of emerging literacy and consequently, through the activities they plan seek to enrich the literacy experiences of all students without exception.

The Role of Al-Quran Literacy in Deepening Understanding of Islamic Religious Education

This research focuses on the role of Al-Qur’an literacy in deepening students’ understanding of Islamic Religious Education and developing their moral and ethical character. This research explores how Al-Qur’an literacy functions as a reading skill and a tool for developing critical, reflective thinking and a holistic understanding of Islamic teachings. This research uses qualitative methods, including interviews, observation, and documentation techniques, to explore Al-Qur’an literacy experiences, perceptions, and practices at Middle School. The research results show that Al-Qur’an literacy significantly impacts understanding Islamic Religious Education material and developing students’ character. However, this research also identified challenges in implementation, such as a need for more time allocation in the curriculum and variations in reading skill levels among students. The implications of this research emphasize the need for adaptive learning strategies and additional support to increase the effectiveness of Al-Qur’an literacy in religious education.

Literacy and signing deaf students: a multi-national scoping review.

Many literature reviews or other types of reviews (e.g., meta-analyses, scoping reviews) in deaf education research are focused upon primarily or exclusively research that is performed in U.S. contexts or English-speaking contexts only. However, research that is conducted in non-English-speaking, non-U.S. settings that may be more likely to be multilingual, has value for our understanding of how deaf students using multiple languages may develop literacy skills. The objective of this review was to explore the literature on literacy development with deaf learners conducted outside of English-speaking contexts that has been published in English, Portuguese, or Spanish. We identified 13 English-language articles, 9 Portuguese-language articles, and 0 Spanish articles that met inclusion criteria. From these articles, we glean important insights into the reading process, including the teaching of subskills of reading, writing instruction, early literacy experiences, and the potential relationship between signed languages and literacy. We also note the need for multiple, converging sources of evidence and the value of an asset-driven approach to understanding deaf learners.

Insights on Literacy From Stroke Survivors With Aphasia: A Mixed-Methods Inquiry.

Individuals with aphasia commonly experience reading and writing difficulties, negatively impacting everyday communication and life participation. Using mixed methods, this study aimed to understand literacy experiences described by individuals with aphasia and explore how their perspectives are related to test performance and other demographic factors. Twenty-one stroke survivors with aphasia completed reading and writing testing and shared their perspectives through a close-ended survey and an open-ended interview about literacy abilities and experiences. Quantitative methods were used to compare pre- and poststroke self-ratings and explore associations between self-ratings and demographic factors. Qualitative methods were used to identify themes in the interviews. The data sets were merged to derive mixed-methods results for a more in-depth view of participants' perspectives. Significant decreases in perceived literacy abilities were found; however, there were no differences in literacy importance or enjoyment pre- to poststroke. Reading and writing test scores were correlated with self-rated abilities but not with importance, enjoyment, or frequency of reading and writing. The thematic analysis process identified four main themes: Feelings about literacy, Literacy challenges, Literacy supports, and Literacy goals. The data indicate that individuals with aphasia highly value reading and writing and are heavily invested, despite recognized challenges, in using and improving these skills. Therefore, assessments and treatments addressing literacy in aphasia are critical, and individuals with aphasia should be invited to share their literacy experiences and goals, allowing for more person-centered clinical resources to be collaboratively constructed. https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.25893049.

Multilingual use assessment questionnaire: a proposal for assessing language and literacy experience

The linguistic profile of multilingual individuals can vary significantly due to diversity in linguistic experience. This poses challenges for language researchers, educators, and clinical practitioners. We developed a Multilingual Use Assessment Questionnaire (MUAQ) to capture the heterogeneous nature of multilinguals profiles integrating three dimensions: self-assessment of language(s) competence, language(s) use for mental operations, and language(s) use in different contexts. The questionnaire was administered to bilingual Catalan/Spanish children and adults across three educational levels: elementary school (year 6), secondary school (year 10), and university level. The application of the MUAQ revealed that Catalan/Spanish bilinguals displayed variations in their self-assessed proficiency based on the type of linguistic activity required by each language. While high bilingual competence was concentrated in oral comprehension, production skills exhibited lower bilingual competence and a strong asymmetry between languages emerged in writing. Also, more pronounced preferences for one language were observed for Thinking and Counting. Whereas Catalan (the language of schooling) was more frequently preferred for Counting, a more multilingual approach was observed for Thinking. A significant heterogeneity was also evident in the language(s) used in different contexts, with each third of the study population demonstrating distinct patterns of linguistic behavior depending on the context. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) identified two key dimensions (linguistic competence skills and languages involved in mental operations) that accounted for a substantial portion of the variance, while the third dimension (language use in different contexts) bifurcated into situational/communicative vs. personal contexts. These results endorse multidimensional approaches for a comprehensive understanding of multilingualism.

Relational Literacies for More-than-English Worlds

A teacher-researcher explores students’ relational literacy experiences as they compose a multimodal eco-story as part of a project-based ecosocial justice unit.

Examining the opportunities for digital text production in the Australian Curriculum for the first years of school

Digital technology has long been ubiquitous in many communities within Australia and internationally, thereby requiring suitable digital proficiencies. While a majority of Australian children experience digital literacies as part of their everyday lives, limitations in access disadvantage others. In educational settings, there is a clear need for teachers to incorporate the digital literacies of learners while also working towards addressing inequities by providing rich literacy experiences that bring together print and digital forms of texts. Well-established understandings about the importance of literacy development early in a child’s life support teachers of the first years of school to teach essential digital literacies. In Australian schools, teachers are mandated by a range of documents, including the Australian Curriculum, that provide content for teachers to teach. Situated within a frame of New Literacies theories, this paper reports findings from analyses of the ways these mandated documents may support teachers in the first years of school to design learning experiences that respond to learners’ needs in producing digital texts. We then determine implications for teachers’ responsiveness to these documents. With the recent release of the Australian Curriculum version 9.0, we argue for the pedagogical knowledge that teachers require to implement digital text production experiences within the mandates of the curriculum and, consequently, the professional learning they need for realising the potential of all children’s digital capabilities in their classrooms.

Predictive Language Processing in Russian Heritage Speakers: Task Effects on Morphosyntactic Prediction in Reading

This study investigates the effect of task demands on the predictive processing of morphosyntactic cues (word class, noun/adjective gender, case, and number) in reading among Heritage Speakers of Russian (N = 29), comparing them with Russian language learners (N = 29) and monolingual Russian speakers (N = 63). Following the utility account of bilingual prediction, we hypothesized that the predictive use of morphosyntactic cues would be more evident in a less-demanding reading cloze task (Experiment 1) than in a more-challenging eye-tracking reading task (Experiment 2), and for cues that RHSs regard as more reliable (word class and number vs. gender and case cues). The results confirmed our predictions: In Experiment 1, Heritage Speakers (and L2 learners) used all cues predictively to generate the upcoming lexical item, with higher accuracy for word class and number cues compared to gender and case cues. In Experiment 2, in contrast to monolingual readers, neither Heritage Speakers nor L2 learners used gender cues on adjectives to anticipate the gender of the upcoming noun. The results are discussed in respect to the interplay between task demands, cue weight, oral fluency, and Russian literacy experience.

How do general practitioners manage patient health literacy differences in cardiovascular disease prevention consultations? An interview study

ObjectivesLow health literacy is associated with worse health outcomes, including for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, general practitioners (GPs) have limited support to identify and address patient health literacy needs in CVD prevention consultations. This study explored GPs’ experiences of patient health literacy needs during CVD risk assessment and management consultations. MethodsSemi-structured interviews with 18 GPs in Tasmania, Australia in 2021. A Framework Analysis approach was used to code transcripts to a thematic framework. ResultsGPs perceptions on patient health literacy informed three themes: 1. Methods of estimating health literacy; 2. GPs’ perceptions about the impact of health literacy on CVD prevention including risk factor knowledge and behaviours; and 3. Strategies for communicating with patients experiencing health literacy challenges. The findings show that while no formal tools were used to assess health literacy in this sample, perceived health literacy can change GPs’ communication and prevention strategies. ConclusionThe findings raise concerns about the equity of choices made available to patients, based on subjective perceptions of their health literacy level. Practice implicationGPs could be better supported to assess and address patient health literacy needs in CVD prevention consultations.

Population ageing, incarceration and the growing digital divide: Understanding the effects of digital literacy inequity experienced by older people leaving prison.

Digital inequity refers to the inequality and exclusion experienced by those who lack the same opportunities or circumstances to support the development of digital skills as the rest of modern society. One rapidly growing and highly vulnerable group to digital inequity is older people attempting to reintegrate into society after release from prison, where technology access is limited. Inadequate support for digital skills in this population entails widespread consequences for public health, human rights, social welfare and recidivism. This qualitative study is the first to: examine digital inequity experienced by older people who have been incarcerated, understand the effects of this on reintegration to society, and begin informing appropriate solutions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with N = 15 older people (mean age = 57) who had been released from an Australian prison in the last two years, regarding their experiences of digital literacy since leaving prison. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted under a critical realist lens. The analysis resulted in six themes that illustrated the extent of digital inequity experienced by this population, and key challenges for improving digital literacy: 'surviving in a digital world', 'stranger in a foreign world', 'questioning the digital divide', 'overcoming your "old" self', 'don't like what you don't know', and 'seeking versus finding help'. The digital inequity that older people experience during and after incarceration creates additional challenges for a growing group who are already medically and socially marginalised. Prioritisation of this group for digital literacy initiatives both during incarceration and in the community will have benefits for their health, social and financial reintegration. Their unique life experiences should be considered in designing and delivering these programs. Simultaneously, prisons should be cognizant of the potential detrimental effects of technology restriction on reintegration and criminogenic outcomes.

Learning about Literacy: Speech-Language Pathologists' Pre-Service and In-Service Training Experiences in the United States.

To better understand speech-language pathologists' (SLPs') pre-service and in-service training experiences in literacy and the relationship between their literacy training experiences and current practice, self-efficacy, and beliefs regarding their roles in literacy assessment and treatment, a web-based survey of SLPs was conducted (n = 444). Responses revealed that 60% of respondents completed at least one literacy course in their graduate programs: 55% took courses that embedded content in literacy assessment or treatment, and 23% took courses dedicated to literacy. These results varied based on the decade of graduation. Although 73.5% of respondents felt that their graduate programs trained them well or very well to assess and treat spoken language, only 8.5% felt the same about literacy. Most respondents (80%) reported completing in-service literacy training, and 89% reported wanting more literacy training. Completion of in-service training was positively, significantly related to respondents' current literacy-related clinical practice, self-efficacy, and beliefs regarding their roles; however, pre-service literacy training was not significantly related to any of these. Though in-service training appears to play a role in helping SLPs deliver literacy services, more emphasis on increasing the quantity and quality of pre-service and in-service training in the assessment and treatment of literacy is needed.

On (not) being literate enough: The literacy experiences and literacy programme needs of people experiencing homelessness or who are at risk of homelessness

AbstractThis paper is focussed on literacy and the literacy experiences of people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. Drawing on 23 in‐depth interviews with people who have lived experience of homelessness in Sydney, Australia, the paper examines literacy, literacy needs and interest in literacy programmes from a social practice perspective of literacy. Amartya Sen's (1999) capability approach is drawn on to examine the multidimensional barriers that impede access to literacy. Our findings show literacy needs and how literacy is understood and valued in the lives of people with lived experience of homelessness. We show the ways that spatial and temporal conditions enable and create (im)possibilities for the realisation of literacy as a capability. We also discuss how the capability is imagined to fit into existing worlds, as both an instrumental tool, as well as for personal satisfaction and broader participation in social life. Our interviewees also point to the possibilities of literacy learning and programmes supporting the realisation of other capabilities, emphasising the prospects of achieving multiple capability realisations through program design. We show how the findings bear out the principles of a social practices pedagogy in adult literacy programmes.