Literacy Orientation Research Articles

Parent Report of Reading to Young Children

The purpose of this study was to investigate the predictors and frequency of book-sharing activities in a nationally representative sample of families with young children and to examine the extent to which parents report that pediatric health care providers are addressing early literacy activities. This study analyzed data from the 2000 National Survey of Early Childhood Health (NSECH), a telephone survey of 2068 parents of children aged 4 to 35 months. Parents were queried about the frequency of reading with their child, whether their pediatric provider discussed reading in the past year, and, if not, whether a discussion of the importance of reading to their child would have been helpful. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariate logistic regression to identify predictors of daily reading among parents of young children nationally were used. Approximately 52% of young children are reportedly read to every day by a parent. Significant predictors of daily reading include older child's age (19-35 months; odds ratio [OR]: 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.18-2.65, as compared with 4-9 months), maternal education greater than high school (OR: 2.00; 95% CI: 1.24-3.22), greater number of children's books in the home (OR: 1.01; 95% CI: 1.00-1.01), and discussion of reading by the pediatric provider (OR: 1.66; 95% CI: 1.23-2.24). Lower odds of daily reading are found for maternal full-time working status (OR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49-0.95), black race/ethnicity (OR: 0.61; 95% CI: 0.41-0.91), Hispanic race/ethnicity (OR: 0.56; 95% CI: 0.37-0.86), Spanish language-dominant parents (OR: 0.37; 95% CI: 0.22-0.62), and >1 child in the household (2 children OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.48-0.97; 3 children OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.35-0.82). Approximately 37% of parents of young children stated that their child's pediatric provider had not discussed reading with them. Nearly half (47%) of these parents indicated that they would have found such a discussion helpful. Family context and daily reading routines are important for a child's early literacy development. This national study identifies how family characteristics and routines are associated with the family's literacy orientation. The analysis also indicates that a large percentage of parents with young children who do not read daily believe that it would be helpful to discuss the importance of reading with their child's pediatric provider.

Books and babies: Clinical-based literacy programs

Introduction The purpose of this study was to assess parental response to a clinic-based literacy program at a health maintenance organization. It was hypothesized that participation would be associated with increased literacy orientation by children. Method This randomized community trial took place at a Midwestern health maintenance organization. Six clinics were paired and randomly assigned to participate or not participate in Project Read. The main outcome variable was literacy orientation (book use). The target population was parents of children younger than 12 months (N = 165). After 6 months of participation, parents were surveyed by telephone. Results Seventy-five percent and 77% of the treatment and control groups, respectively, had positive literacy orientation; this difference was not significant. Persons receiving a videotape were more likely to have a positive literacy orientation (82.9% vs 69.2%; P < .05). The multivariate regression analyses also showed that receiving the free videotape was a significant intervention exposure. Discussion The members of the population in this study are reading to their children. Parents who receive a videotape on the importance of reading are likely to read more to their children.

Emergent literacy intervention for vulnerable preschoolers: relative effects of two approaches.

This study determined the relative efficacy of an experimental explicit emergent literacy intervention program for preschoolers experiencing multiple risk factors. Using an alternating treatment research design, children completed two 6-week waves of intervention in small groups; one wave featured the experimental explicit intervention program, whereas the other featured a comparison program. Emergent literacy assessment was conducted at pretest and at the end of each wave. Results indicated significant widespread gains in emergent literacy knowledge over the entire 12-week intervention program; growth was significantly greater during the experimental explicit intervention program compared to the comparison program. An examination of individual differences and intervention outcome showed oral language skills and literacy orientation to predict emergent literacy performance at the end of the program.

A Pediatric Literacy Education Program for Low Socioeconomic, Culturally Diverse Families

The objective of this research project is to describe parent-child activities and literacy experiences of low-income families attending an urban pediatric clinic. These data were used to educate clinic pediatricians about the needs of their patients and to facilitate the implementation of a literacy education program. Two hundred twenty-four primary caregivers of children between the ages of 1 and 5 years who spoke Spanish or English participated in clinic interviews. These low-income, diverse families engaged in many everyday activities that could facilitate the language and literacy development of their children. Barriers to greater literacy orientation among families included lack of access to children's books and limited use of libraries. Families most at risk for low child literacy orientation were recent immigrants (primarily from Mexico) who spoke English as a second language and had not completed high school. The knowledge of everyday parent-child activities, barriers to literacy, and the identification of families at risk for low literacy orientation were used to develop a pediatric literacy program that would meet the needs of the specific clinic population.

Literacy Promotion in Primary Care Pediatrics: Can We Make a Difference?

Reading skills are critical to children's success in school and the increasingly technologic workforce. Children from low-income families are at risk for home environments that fail to promote emergent literacy and for reading failure. A home environment that encourages learning and parents who are involved in their children's education are important factors in school achievement. To evaluate the effects of a literacy promoting intervention delivered by pediatric providers as part of well-child care on parent attitudes and behaviors and on child language. A multicultural group of 205 low-income families with 5- to 11-month-olds were prospectively enrolled, interviewed, and randomized to intervention (n = 106) or control (n = 99) groups. Families in the intervention group received developmentally appropriate children's books and educational materials and advice about sharing books with children, while those in the control group received no books or materials relevant to literacy. After an average of 3.4 well-child visits in both groups, 153 (75%) were reinterviewed and the children's receptive and expressive vocabulary was tested using a modified version of the MacArthur Communication and Development Inventory (Short Form). Parents were asked if their child understood (receptive vocabulary) or said (expressive vocabulary) each of 100 words, half of which were in the books given. Families were found to have a Child-Centered Literacy Orientation if they mentioned reading aloud as one of their child's favorite activities or as one of their own favorite joint activities or if they usually read together at bedtime. At follow-up toddlers were 18.4 months old on average. Intervention and control groups had similar literacy related characteristics at baseline. There was a 40% increase in Child-Centered Literacy Orientation among intervention families compared with 16% among controls. Intervention families read more with their toddlers (4.3 vs 3.8 days/week). Both receptive and expressive vocabulary scores were higher in older intervention toddlers (18-25 months old; n = 88), but not in younger intervention toddlers (13-17 months old; n = 62). This significant effect of the intervention on vocabulary scores in older toddlers was found for both the 50 words in the books and those not in the books. After parent education, foreign birth and language proficiency, and child age were statistically controlled, the intervention remained significantly associated with higher language outcomes in older toddlers. However, when reading aloud was added to the multivariate analysis, the influence of the intervention was no longer evident, suggesting the intervention's effect on child language was mediated through increased shared reading with these toddlers. This simple and inexpensive intervention, delivered as part of well-child care, changed parent attitudes toward the importance of reading with their infants and toddlers. These intervention parents and their children read more together and this was associated with enhanced language development in older toddlers in this diverse group of low-income families.

Child centered literacy orientation: a form of social capital?

To describe the home literacy environment and to identify financial, human, and social capital variables associated with the presence or lack of Child Centered Literacy Orientation (CCLO) in families with young children who regularly attend pediatric primary care clinics. Cross-sectional case-control analysis of structured parent interviews conducted in two hospital-based and four community-based pediatric clinics in New England. Parents of 199 healthy 1- to 5-year-old children whose mean age was 30 +/- 15 (SD) months were interviewed. Parents were primarily mothers (94%) with a mean age of 28 +/- 7 (SD) years 60% of whom were single. Educational levels of study parents varied: 43% had not graduated from high school, 29% had a high school equivalency, and 28% had at least a year of college or vocational training. This was a multiethnic parent group. Sixty-five percent were bilingual or non-English speaking. Fifty-eight percent were born outside of the continental United States. Parents were primarily of low-income status with 85% receiving Women, Infant, and Children (WIC) food supplements, Aid to Families With Dependent Children, and/or Medicaid. Half of the parents interviewed reported that they rarely read books. Sixty percent of children had fewer than 10 books at home and two-thirds of these households contained fewer than 50 books total. When asked open-ended questions, 28% of parents said that sharing books with their child was one of their three favorite activities together, 14% said that looking at books was one of their child's three favorite things to do, and 19% reported sharing books at bedtime at least six times each week. Thirty-nine percent of families had at least one of these three literacy-related responses present and so were said to have a CCLO. A backwards stepwise multiple logistic regression on CCLO was performed with family financial, human, and social capital variables. Parents married or living together (odds ratio [OR] 2.56, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.21-5.42), higher adult-to-child ratios in the home (OR 1.92, 95% CI = 1.20-3.05), households speaking only English (OR 2.67, 95% CI = 1.24-5.76), parents reading books themselves at least a few times a week (OR 2.86, 95% CI = 1.38-5.91), and homes with more than 10 children's books (OR 3.3, 95% CI = 1.6-6.83), were all independently and significantly associated with the presence of CCLO. Older child age and higher parent education remain in the model but were not significant at the P <.05 level. Ethnicity and income status were dropped for lack of additional significance from this model, which described 24% of the variance in CCLO. Although two-parent families and higher adult-to-child ratios in the home appear to be social capital variables with protective effects, low-income, single-parent, and minority or immigrant families are at significant risk for lacking both children's books and a CCLO. We suggest that CCLO may itself be another form of social capital reflecting parental goals and expectations for their children. We speculate that interventions which provide children's books and information about reading with children to impoverished families with young children may facilitate more parent-child book sharing. Pediatricians and other primary care providers serving underserved populations may have a unique opportunity to encourage activities focusing on young children and promoting literacy.

Promoting Emergent Literacy in a Pediatric Clinic: Predictors of Parent-Child Reading

Shared parent-child reading during the preschool years is significantly related to children's emergent literacy skills. Factors potentially predictive of shared reading were assessed among low-income families of preschoolers (N = 79) attending a pediatric clinic. Demographic, experiential, attitudinal, and caretaker literacy measures were examined in relation to 2 self-report measures of shared parent-child reading: DeBaryshe's (1995) Reading Exposure Composite and Needlman, Fried, Morley, Taylor, and Zuckerman's (1991) Activity Recall Literacy Orientation. Regression analyses revealed that caretaker reading beliefs, self-reported caretaker literacy, and child interest in reading were significant predictors of both shared reading measures. Results are discussed in terms of implications for primary prevention programs aimed at encouraging children's emergent literacy skills in public pediatric settings.

Literacy orientation survey: A survey to clarify teachers’ beliefs and practices

The development of the Literacy Orientation Survey (LOS) is described. The LOS is an instrument for assessing teachers’ beliefs about literacy learning and classroom practices as they relate to constructivism. Content validity of the LOS was established by a panel of experts who reviewed the items, judging how well items reflected principles of constructivist approaches to literacy instruction. A draft survey of 44 items was administered to 110 teachers. Responses were factor analyzed. Thirty items, 15 belief statements and 15 practice statements, that respectively loaded at a .80 level were retained. The resulting LOS survey was administered to 30 different teachers in order to determine the reliability of the instrument. A test‐retest reliability coefficient was computed as r = .927. The LOS was subsequently administered to 95 teachers. Correlation between belief and practice items was .65. While the LOS was determined to have robust internal validity and reliability, questions remained about external validity of teachers’ self‐reports of their approaches to instruction. To assess external validity, 42 teachers were observed during actual classroom instruction. They were categorized as traditional, eclectic, or constructivist based on indicators used during the observations. The LOS was then administered to these same 42 teachers. LOS scores, by teaching category, were compared using Analysis of Variance. Homogeneity of variance across groups was assured (Levene Test). A significant F = 66.01, at the p < .001 level, resulted in the conclusion that the LOS consistently predicted actual classroom practice. It is concluded that the LOS can be used as a reliable and valid indicator of teachers’ practices during literacy instruction.