Children's Literacy Research Articles

Method Digital Learning for Increase Ability Early Childhood Literacy

One of the learning media is a digital fairy tale application available with pictures​ for download on the Google Play Store. The objective of this study is to learn in a way comprehensive how using digital learning media increases the ability of literacy children age early. Research quantitative This uses articles and journals accredited nationally as data sources and references. Research This in a way special see how digital learning media can help children Study literacy. Knowledge of letters, knowledge of sound letters, consciousness of phonemics, and comprehension of the concept of writing are indicators important to skills literacy. Digital applications that can be accessible to everyone, including teachers, parents, and students, used in the study This For looks for solutions for problem literacy. Study This is classified as in type study qualitative and using approach studies case. Analysis results study show that using learning media digital can also increase the skills and literacy child age early in PAUD institutions with give teachers the tools they need need for use it. Research This shows that tool digital learning can be used to increase ability literacy child age early PAUD institutions.

Health literacy from the perspectives of children and adolescents - a meta-ethnography

Abstract Background The current literature on health literacy rarely considers the views of children and adolescents. The aim of our qualitative evidence synthesis was therefore to develop a child- and adolescent-centered conceptualization of health literacy. Methods We conducted a meta-ethnography of qualitative studies. Our iterative literature search considered the literature up to November 2023. We dually screened 1596 abstracts and 97 full texts, assessed the methodological limitations of the 32 included studies, and considered 21 data-rich studies in the analysis. We extracted first- and second-order constructs, translated the studies into each other, and developed a coherent argumentation. We dually assessed the trustworthiness of the evidence. Results The resulting model comprises micro-, meso-, macro- and chronosystems. It highlights the influence of demographic, cognitive and psychological factors on the development of health literacy in children and adolescents at the micro level, the social environment, including family, friends, peers, teachers, and health professionals at the meso level, and the media and internet, the health and education system, the living environment, and the social narrative about health at the macro level. The chronosystem shows the impact of upbringing, development, and experience. Children absorb health information actively and passively, employing various strategies to evaluate its trustworthiness. They seek advice from their social environment, which acts as a source of information and influencing factor. Different types of information are weighed up and ranked before action is not taken. Conclusions Existing models of health literacy are too one-dimensional to be applied to children and adolescents and do not consider their social and living environment. The proposed model offers a comprehensive understanding of health literacy in children and adolescents. It can be used as a basis for future interventions to improve health literacy. Key messages • Health literacy of children and adolescents is significantly influenced by a combination of internal and external factors. • By incorporating the perspectives of children and adolescents, we have developed a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of health literacy.

Validity and reliability of a physical literacy knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors questionnaire for early childhood educators (PLKASB-ECE): An exploratory factor analysis.

Nurturing physical literacy in young children offers a unique opportunity to address global physical inactivity trend. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) environments, with their extensive reach into this age group, and early childhood educators, through their daily interactions with children, are strategically positioned to influence children's physical literacy development. However, enhancing educators' ability to foster physical literacy requires valid and reliable assessment tools to measure holistic physical literacy constructs (i.e., cognitive, affective, behavioral) to assess the impact of physical literacy educational interventions. The purpose of this study was to develop a holistic digital tool to measure physical literacy knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behaviors of early childhood educators (PLKASB-ECE) for both their professional teaching context as well as the educator's own personal physical literacy behaviours. This study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1 involved item generation and content validation. Phase 2 employed a cross-sectional validation study design to assess the psychometric properties of the PLKASB-ECE tool. Based on a literature review an initial 19-item instrument was developed that subsequently underwent three rounds of expert content validation. Six additional items were added, resulting in a final 25-item self-report measure with a readability score equivalent to an 8th grade reading level (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.7). This included 1 global rating item, 2 qualitative response items, 7 knowledge items, and 15 items addressing physical literacy attitudes, self-efficacy and behaviors using a 7-point Likert response scale. The PLKASB-ECE tool was administered to 470 educators in Alberta, Canada between 2019 to 2022. The 15 items were subjected to exploratory factor analysis and resulted in a five-factor scale with one item not loading. The five-factor scale held with the final 14 items with loadings ranging from 0.481 to 0.886, Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.70 to 0.82, with ordinal omega ranging from 0.72 to 0.82. Usability, as assessed by completion time, was 8.15 minutes. These findings demonstrate good indices of reliability and validity for the PLKASB-ECE tool. This tool will be valuable as a research outcome measure for assessing educational interventions aimed at enhancing educators' understanding, confidence, and strategies for fostering holistic concepts of physical literacy in young children within ECECs.

The influence of living environments on subjective health literacy in fourth-graders in Germany

Abstract Background Evidence suggests that worse family affluence is related to low health literacy in children. Still, for the targeted promotion of health literacy, a more nuanced understanding is needed of how living environments affect health literacy in early life. This study explores the relationships between health literacy and indicators of living environments in the neighborhood and at home. Methods A representative sample of 4th-graders (age 8-11) was surveyed from Oct. 2022 to Feb. 2023 in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. We included the HLS-Child-Q15 to assess subjective health literacy, 4 items about the neighborhood (e.g., “neighborhood is a good place to play outside” or “I often see people smoking in the neighborhood”), and 4 items about home (e.g., “there’s always fruit and vegetables at home” or “it’s important to my parents that I exercise”). The tendency to answer in a socially desirable way was controlled for with a validated scale. Likert-scale items were dichotomized for use in linear regression. Results n = 1085 students are included, 50.3% are female. The mean age is 9.5 years (SD=.6). The regression model explains 17.8% of variability in health literacy (corr. R²). Significant (p<.05) predictors for high health literacy were birthplace (Germany, not Germany), agreement to the statements “I often see people exercising in my neighborhood”, “my parents can answer all my question about health”, “there’s always fruit and vegetables at home”, “it’s important to my parents that I exercise”, but also social desirability scores. Family affluence was not a significant predictor. Conclusions In this sample of 4th-graders, subjective health literacy could not adequately be explained by family affluence. Indicators of living environments seem to be better suited to explore variability in health literacy. These findings can be used to explore entry points for the promotion of health literacy early in life and to identify groups at risk for low health literacy.

Implementation of organizational health literacy depending on school characteristics in Germany

Abstract Background Children and adolescents are important target groups for health promotion measures to sustain a healthy upbringing. Organizational health literacy in schools is a promising environmental intervention to strengthen health literacy in school children. This study examines the relationship between school characteristics and the implementation of organizational health literacy. Methods School principals in Germany were invited to complete a 20-minute online survey between November 2022 and July 2023. An 8-item self-report tool was used to measure organizational health literacy in schools (OHLS-Q-SF) that comprehends eight different areas within schools to become health literate. A hierarchical cluster analysis was carried out to identify groups according to the composition of the socioeconomic status of the student body. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney-U tests, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. Results 598 school principals (73.6% female, Ø 52.3 years old) who worked at primary schools (49.1%), secondary schools (37%), and special education schools (13.9%) completed the survey. Cluster analysis revealed two groups. The first one (36.8%) contains schools with mainly students with lower socioeconomic status, and the second group (63.2%) contains schools with more students from middle or higher socioeconomic status. The socioeconomic status of students within the schools showed no significant results for any area of organizational health literacy, whereas all eight areas are more likely implemented if the schools already participate in a school health promotion program or network (p < 0.001). Conclusions Participating in a school health promotion program was associated with higher levels of implementation in all areas of organizational health literacy in schools. This finding highlights the importance of those programs. Integrating organizational health literacy into those interventions can be a beneficial approach to sustaining health literate schools. Key messages • Participating in a school health promotion program or network might facilitate schools to become health literate organizations. • In Germany, the socioeconomic status of the students within the schools is not associated with the implementation of organizational health literacy.

Unlocking Health Literacy: investigating Parental Health Literacy and Child Weight Outcomes

Abstract Background While parental health literacy (HL) is widely recognized as crucial for child health, research on its impact on children’s weight-related outcomes remains limited. This study aims to fill this gap by investigating the associations between parental HL and children’s anthropometric measurements, with a focus on child BMI Z-score and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Methods As part of a cluster randomized trial in primary schools serving vulnerable populations, 735 children (51.7% boys, mean age 7.7 years) participated. Parental HL was assessed using the HLS-Q12 questionnaire, comprising 12 items. Health literacy levels, standardized from 0 to 100, were categorized into ‘inadequate,’ ‘problematic,’ ‘sufficient,’ and ‘excellent’ HL. General HL and three specific domains-health promotion, disease prevention, and healthcare-were computed. Children’s weight, height, and BMI were measured following standardized procedures. Regression analyses examined HL’s impact on BMI Z-scores and WHtR. Results Parents with higher HL in disease prevention and health promotion had children with significantly lower BMI Z-scores, even after adjusting for parental education and children’s sex sex [-0.010 (-0.18; -0.0001) and -0.10 (-0.019; 0.01). Similar associations were found for WHtR [-0.0004 (-0.001; -0.0001)]. Parents with excellent HL in general and health promotion had significantly lower WHtR [-0.027 (-0.046; -0.008)] and BMI Z-score [-0.74 (-1.2; -0.28)]. Conclusions This study highlights the significant role of parental health literacy in shaping children’s weight-related outcomes. Higher levels of parental HL in disease prevention and health promotion were linked to lower BMI Z-scores and WHtR in children, independent of parental education and children’s sex. Enhancing parental HL, alongside promoting healthy behaviors and environments for children, could lead to more effective approaches for addressing this public health issue. Key messages • Parental health literacy is associated with children’s weight outcomes, emphasizing the need for HL-focused interventions. • Higher parental HL is associated with lower child BMI Z-scores and waist-to-height ratios, highlighting potential HL’s role in combating childhood obesity.

The influence of health literacy on health outcomes and behaviors in fourth-graders in Germany

Abstract Background For the adult population, evidence suggests that a high level of subjective health literacy is associated with a number of favorable health outcomes and behaviors. However, for younger populations, particularly children, little evidence is available. This study investigates the relationship between subjective health literacy, health outcomes, and health behaviors in children. Methods We conducted a representative survey of 4th-grade students (age 8-11) in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between Oct. 2022 and Feb. 2023. Subjective health literacy was measured with the HLS-Child-Q15 questionnaire. For mental and physical well-being, the KINDL-R was used. For health behaviors, we asked about the frequency of (1) brushing teeth, (2) eating fruit and (3) vegetables, (4) exercising, (5) consuming sweetened drinks, and (6) wearing a helmet when riding the bike. Regression analysis was used to determine the impact of health literacy on outcomes, controlling for a number of sociodemographic indicators (birthplace, home language, sex, age), as well as the tendency to give socially desirable responses. Health behaviors were rated on a Likert scale and where dichotomized for ordinal regression. Results n = 1085 students are included with a mean age of 9.5 years (SD=.6). 50.3% are female. While controlling for a number of variables, health literacy was a significant predictor (p<.05) for every indicator except the frequency of (1) brushing teeth, (4) exercising, and (5) consumption of sweetened drinks. For mental well-being, health literacy was the strongest predictor. Conclusions Our findings highlight the potentially enabling role of subjective health literacy regarding favorable health outcomes and health behaviors. However, because this is a study among younger children, further research is needed on the interplay of individual subjective health literacy, social contexts (e.g., parental health literacy and health behaviors), and children’s health outcomes and behaviors.

1.K. Scientific session: Health literacy of children and adolescents across Europe

Abstract Health literacy is developed throughout the life course. Enhancing health literacy at an early age is especially important since it may impact both current and future health skills and outcomes. Low health literacy in child and adolescent populations has been linked to worse health outcomes and health disparities in Europe, making health literacy of children and adolescents an important public health topic. Developing and delivering targeted interventions and services for these age groups requires insight and data on the development and state of health literacy in early age. However, child and adolescent health literacy is still an under-researched topic. This is partly due to a lack of appropriate measurement instruments and methods to involve children in research. In the past years, new studies on child and adolescent health literacy have emerged in several European countries. In this workshop, innovative studies from Germany, the Netherlands and the UK on HL in childhood and adolescence are introduced and discussed. Both methodological findings as well as empirical data will be presented. In Germany, an instrument to measure child health literacy was developed and validated for primary school children. This instrument, the HLS-Child-Q15, has been used both in Germany and in the Netherlands to study the relationship between children’s health literacy and their health behaviors and outcomes. In the UK, methods of involving primary school children in health literacy research were studied. Experiences with a Children’s Advisory Group will be shared. Another study in the Netherland focuses on the health literacy profiles and needs of adolescent patients with rheumatic diseases. The format of this workshop will be 4x10-minute presentations (including questions) followed by a 20-minute interactive discussion, reflecting on the relevance of these results to further research, health promotion and health services. which will be followed by Q&A and an open discussion with the audiences. This workshop offers a forum for researchers, health educators, practitioners and policy-makers interested in health literacy measurement and research in children and adolescents. Key messages • Child and adolescent health literacy is an important, yet under-researched public health topic. • Child health literacy is an important predictor of their health behavior and outcomes.

Positive impact of an inpatient early childhood literacy programme on literacy practices and family experience in a paediatric heart centre.

CHD predisposes children to neurodevelopmental delays. Frequent, prolonged hospitalisations during infancy prevent children with heart disease from participating in recommended language and cognitive development programmes, such as outpatient early childhood literacy programmes, and contribute to caregiver stress, a risk factor for adverse developmental outcomes. This study aims to describe the implementation of a single-centre inpatient early childhood literacy programme for hospitalised infants with heart disease and assess its impact on reading practices and patient-family hospital experience. Admitted infants ≤1 year old receive books, a calendar to track reading frequency, and reading guidance at regular intervals. Voluntary feedback is solicited from caregivers using an anonymous, QR-code survey on books. A prospective survey also assessed programme impact on hospital experience. From February 2021 to November 2023, the Books@Heart programme provided 1,293 books to families of 840 infants, of whom 110 voluntarily submitted feedback. Caregivers reported a significant improvement in access to books (p < 0.001) and increased reading frequency after learning about Books@Heart (p = 0.003), with the proportion reading to their child daily increasing from 27% to 62%. Among 40 prospective survey responses, caregivers reported feeling a sense of personal fulfillment (60%), self-confidence (30%), connection (98%), and personal well-being (40%) while reading to their child. An inpatient early childhood literacy programme is a well-received intervention for infants with heart disease that promotes development, improves book access, increases reading exposure, and engages families. Further studies are needed to assess its impact on sustained reading practices and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

THE GLOBAL RESEARCH TRENDS ON THE EARLY LITERACY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

This study examines global trends in early literacy articles published in the Web of Science (WoS) database. Using a descriptive survey model and bibliometric analysis, 2879 articles from 1985 to 2023 were analyzed. According to the results, the number of articles and citations has increased significantly since 2005. The Journal of Early Childhood Literacy is the most prolific journal in this field. Most studies originate from developed countries, notably the USA, Canada, and Australia, with English being the predominant language. Key contributing institutions include the State University System of Florida and Florida State University. The author Justice, L.M., is a leading contributor with 42 articles. The most cited article, by Sénéchal &amp; LeFevre, at 2002 has 1044 citations. The 'Education &amp; Educational Research' category leads with 1751 articles, covering topics like education, psychology, and language and linguistics. Literacy, emergent literacy, phonological awareness, reading are the prominent keywords and recent trends include topics such as literacy environments and dual language learners. Researchers from the USA, Canada, and Australia are prominent in collaborative efforts. This study analyzes global trends and key contributors in early literacy research, providing valuable insights for researchers and decision-makers about future directions and research gaps in the field.

Early Oral Language and Cognitive Predictors of Emergent Literacy Skills in Arabic-Speaking Children: Evidence From Saudi Children With Developmental Language Disorder.

Although children with developmental language disorder (DLD) are known to have difficulties with emergent literacy skills, few available studies have examined emergent literacy skills in Arabic-speaking children with DLD. Even though Arabic language characteristics, such as diglossia and orthographic structure, influence the acquisition of literacy in Arabic-speaking children, research shows that oral language skills, such as vocabulary, and cognitive skills, such as verbal short-term memory (VSTM), predict literacy in Arabic-speaking children. Moreover, linguistic and memory abilities are impaired in children with DLD, including Arabic-speaking children. The current study examines the relationships between oral language, VSTM, and emergent literacy skills in Arabic-speaking typically developing (TD) children and children with DLD. Participants were 40 TD children (20 girls; aged 4;0-6;11 [years;months]) and 26 children with DLD (nine girls, aged 4;0-6;11). All participants were monolingual Arabic speakers and matched on age and socioeconomic status. A set of comprehensive Arabic language (vocabulary knowledge, morphosyntactic, and listening comprehension skills), VSTM, and emergent literacy (phonological awareness and letter knowledge skills) tests were administered. The DLD group scored significantly lower than the TD group on language, VSTM, and emergent literacy measures. Results revealed that the contributions of oral language and VSTM to emergent literacy skills across TD and DLD groups were different. In the TD group, VSTM predicted emergent literacy skills, whereas in the DLD groups, both vocabulary knowledge and VSTM predicted emergent literacy skills. This study represents an important first step in understanding emergent literacy skills and their relationships to language and memory in Arabic-speaking children with and without DLD. The implications of these findings for clinical and education provision are discussed.

Teacher's understanding of early childhood physical literacy: thematic analysis based on teaching experience from an Indonesian perspective

ABSTRACT Background Early childhood is a critical period for the formation of physical literacy from an early age. Teachers play an important role in supporting the growth of children's physical literacy. Unfortunately, in Indonesia, the understanding of the concept of physical literacy has yet to fully permeate early childhood education. There are no special regulations from the government to include physical education in early childhood education so that children can achieve physical literacy. Traditionally in Indonesia, teachers provide physical activity games with the aim being only to master children's gross motor skills. Therefore, the presentation of physical activity through play provided by teachers needs attention to understand children's physical literacy. These teachers can help inform the provision of physical education for early childhood education in supporting children's physical literacy in the future. Purpose This research aims to reveal the experiences of early childhood education teachers in Indonesia who are used to providing physical activity learning through games. Through this experience, this research also aims to explore teachers’ meanings regarding children's physical literacy. Method Through a phenomenological study in accordance with the physical literacy theoretical framework, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 early childhood education teachers in West Java, Indonesia. A sample of teachers was taken and interviewed from 5 schools that met the criteria, namely that they were used to teaching physical activity through play for the purpose of developing children's gross motor skills. To add to the description of teachers’ experiences, photo-elicitation interviews were conducted. Top-down thematic and bottom-up thematic analysis was carried out to analyze all the data that had been obtained. Results Physical literacy is interpreted as something related to children's health, meaning physical activity carried out by young children to keep their bodies fit and healthy so they can live their lives independently. Pedagogical experience from an educational background other than physical education is recognized as an obstacle to understanding physical literacy comprehensively. Thus, the teching learning practices carried out in the field only emphasize the meaning of children's physical motor activity. In accordance with the teachers’ experience, the teaching they often do every day is only giving physical activity’ games, this is assumed by them to support the physical literacy of early childhood. Motor physical activities that lead to physical literacy in early childhood are carried out in open field areas or playgrounds. The safety of teaching motor and physical activities for children is also a concern for teachers. Conclusion The findings from this study suggest that teaching experience with an educational background other than physical education can limit the understanding of physical literacy, even if the teachers are used to teaching physical activity in an early childhood education environment. The long-term implications may be that if early childhood education and physical education work together, they will be able to inspire more meaningful experiences in teaching physical activities that contribute to the formation of children's physical literacy.

Physical Activity Levels, Cardiorespiratory Fitness, and Physical Literacy in Children With a Chronic Medical Condition.

This study investigated differences in cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and other physical literacy domains between children with a chronic medical condition (CMC) who adhered to with the physical activity guideline and those who did not. Forty children with a CMC (7-12years) wore an accelerometer for 7days to measure moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. CRF and muscle power were assessed with a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test, and motor performance was measured with an exercise course. Motivation, confidence, knowledge, and understanding were assessed with a questionnaire. Children who adhered to the PA guideline (n =13) scored significantly higher for CRF, muscle power, motivation and confidence than children who did not adhere to the PA guideline (n =27). No significant differences were found for motor performance, knowledge and understanding. Future research should investigate the effect of paying specific attention to motivation and confidence in children with a CMC to stimulate their adherence to the PA guideline.

The Relation of Linguistic Awareness Skills to Reading and Spelling for Autistic and Non-Autistic Elementary School-Age Children.

For non-autistic children, it is well established that linguistic awareness skills support their success with reading and spelling. Few investigations have examined whether these same linguistic awareness skills play a role in literacy development for autistic elementary school-age children. This study serves as a first step in quantifying the phonological, prosodic, orthographic, and morphological awareness skills of autistic children; how these skills compare to those of non-autistic children; and their relation to literacy performance. We measured and compared the phonological, prosodic, orthographic, and morphological awareness skills of 18 autistic (with average nonverbal IQs) and 18 non-autistic elementary school-age children, matched in age, nonverbal IQ, and real-word reading. The relations between linguistic awareness and the children's word-level literacy and reading comprehension skills were examined, and we explored whether the magnitude of these relations was different for the two groups. Regression analyses indicated the relative contribution of linguistic awareness variables to performance on the literacy measures for the autistic children. The non-autistic children outperformed the autistic children on most linguistic awareness measures. There were moderate-to-strong relations between performances on the linguistic awareness and literacy measures for the non-autistic children, and most associations were not reliably different from those for the autistic children. Regression analyses indicate that the performance on specific linguistic awareness variables explains unique variance in autistic children's literacy performance. Although less developed than those of their non-autistic peers, the linguistic awareness skills of autistic elementary school-age children are important for successful reading and spelling.

COMPENSATION OF UNFORMED GRAPHIC SKILLS AS A PREREQUISITE FOR FUNCTIONAL LITERACY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The article deals with the problem of prerequisites for functional literacy of children in the transition to school-type education. It is noted that existing diagnostic techniques allow us to record the insufficient readiness of older preschoolers to carry out graphic activities, which in the future will negatively affect their attitude to educational activities. The experience of compensatory learning is presented, in which it is possible to significantly reduce the severity of this problem.

MyPlate Food Model and Family Grocery Shopping with Second and Third Graders are Significant Interventions for the Development of Interactive Health Literacy Skills

A school-based nutrition education intervention was implemented with second and third graders who used their functional health literacy skills of reading, writing, and speaking to learn about the MyPlate food model from the United States Department of Agriculture. The pretest-posttest intervention determined if children had ever seen the MyPlate food picture and if children participated in grocery shopping and meal making events with their family at home. Interactive health literacy accounted for the conversations that children had with their teachers about food and nutrition when learning about the MyPlate food model and when preparing three recipes over three days in the school classroom. Interactive health literacy strategies also included children’s ability to interact and learn about the MyPlate food model as a valid and reliable print and electronic material associated with meal planning. Implications and guidelines for teachers and parents are discussed for advancing the need for and understanding of functional and interactive health literacy for elementary children in the United States.

Management of Cultural Literacy Among Osing Tribe Women and Children for Local Culture Preservation

The preservation of the local culture of the Osing Banyuwangi tribe cannot be separated from the role of women, especially mothers, in transmitting cultural values through cultural literacy which is applied to the next generation. Apart from the role played by mothers, there is also the role of cultural studies which manage cultural literacy. One of them in Banyuwangi Regency is Sapu Jagad Studio located in Kemiren village which manages cultural literacy to maintain the local culture of the Osing tribe. Therefore, this research aims to analyze how to manage Osing ethnic cultural literacy for women and children in preserving local culture. The approach applied in conducting this research is a case study with qualitative methods. Data sources were obtained by applying data collection techniques in the form of interviews, observation, and documentation to studio managers, groups of women, and children involved in the Sapu Jagad studio. The analysis technique used is the Miles &amp; Huberman model which is carried out through 3 stages, namely collection, reduction, presentation, and concluding the data that has been obtained. The results obtained from this research are the management process of the Sapu Jagad studio through the management stages of institutional management, the learning process, and the impact obtained from managing cultural literacy for women to preserving the local culture of the Osing tribe in Banyuwangi.

A mixed methods, cluster randomized control trial to examine assistive technology use to support early literacy in preschool children with disabilities

This mixed methods study examined the impact of a multi-faceted professional development (PD) program for preschool teachers and classroom assistants on teacher-supported assistive technology (AT) use and early literacy development of children with disabilities. Four special education preschools were randomized into intervention (2 schools, 9 teachers, 50 children) and waitlist control (2 schools, 17 teachers, 42 children) groups. The 24-week PD included online modules, coaching, and AT device kits. Pre-post gains in children’s AT use and early literacy skills were analyzed using χ2 and repeated measures ANOVA. Teacher interviews and reflective commentaries were analyzed using Framework Analysis methodology. From pre- to post-test, the percent of children in the intervention group using some form of AT rose from 36 to 80%. The percent of children using AT in the control group went from 45 to 62%. The difference in change between the two groups was statistically significant, χ 2 = 13.93, p=.001. Gains in early literacy skills were not significantly different across groups, F(1,90)=0.010, p=.922. Analysis of the qualitative data revealed three themes: the positive impact of AT on child engagement and participation, the importance of individualizing AT for each student, and barriers teachers faced in AT implementation. The PD program had a positive effect on children’s AT use but not on gains in early literacy. Teachers’ comments highlighted the nuanced relationship between AT use and literacy outcomes, suggesting the need for more targeted implementation of AT during literacy activities.

Developing a Group-Based Literacy Screening for German Pre-Readers: A Digital, Game-Based Approach

Early prediction of children's literacy skills is crucial for successful literacy development. However, standardized screenings for pre-readers are mainly paper-based and designed for one-on-one sessions, demanding significant resources. We present the development and feasibility evaluation of a digital, game-based literacy screening for German pre-readers that supports group sessions. The screening comprises five tasks that do not rely on written language skills. We detail critical design decisions and guidelines for the effective implementation of this group-based screening. We evaluated the feasibility and user experience with 34 German second- and third-graders. Results revealed that the screening is suitable for use in group settings and that it was positively perceived by the children. Children found the tasks enganging and straightforward, often perceiving them as games. This study demonstrates that digital game-based screenings can be used effectively in group settings with young children with minimal adult guidance, offering a motivating and engaging assessment method.

Digital storytelling: An educational approach for enhancing dyslexic children's writing skills, critical and cultural learning

AbstractThis paper reports an exploratory pilot study‐ which is part of a larger study‐ examining the impact of an innovative approach to enhancing the writing skills of primary school students with dyslexia, digital storytelling (DST), linked to critical and cultural learning. The study adopted a single‐subject design with a pre‐experimental approach (A‐B) to explore connections between the use of digital storytelling, and children's writing skills, as well as cultural and critical dimensions of learning. A socio‐cultural framework, drawing on Green's 3D model, and the Not‐So Simple View of Writing, informed the methodology adopted. A dual perspective aligning with the socio‐cultural theory was adopted, delving into both product and process of digital storytelling. The results revealed significant improvements in writing skills, cultural and critical behaviours, pre and post intervention, with large effect sizes, suggesting this may be a promising classroom approach to improve literacy and learning in children with dyslexia.