Drawing on the theory of social capital, this
paper explores how differences in mothers' social networks
might impact on low-SES children's literacy development
at home. A cross-case analysis of the influence of two low-SES
single-mothers' social networks on their children's home
literacy practices suggests that difference in mothers'
social capital has a disparate impact on their access to
literacy resources, their home literacy engagement with
their children, and their interaction/connection with school
teachers and contributes to their children's differential
school literacy achievement. The findings suggest that for
low-SES children to achieve school success, parents must
be able to access resources that support their ability to
engage in literacy activities that align with those valued
in the school. Therefore, there is a need for schools and
teachers to provide not only services that allow more networking
opportunities but also support to understand school-literacy
practices and expectations for low-SES families, especially
single-parents w ho might be more social isolated.
Abstract reproduced with permission of NATE.
This study examines children's uses of reading
resources in neighborhood public libraries that have been
transformed to "level the playing field". Through
Foundation founding (US$20 million), the public library
system of Philadelphia converted neighborhood branch libraries
into a technologized modern urban library system, hoping
to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and their
families by closing the achievement gap. Using a mosaic
of ethnographic neighborhood libraries, prior to renovations
and technology, right after, and once the novelty had worn
off a year later, for preschoolers, elementary, and teens.
Results indicated that despite heavy library use across
low-income and middle-income children, quality differentials
in the way resources were used appeared at all age levels,
prior to, immediately after, and stronger still following
technology renovations. Taken together, these studies suggest
equal resources to economically unequal groups did not level
the playing field. Instead, it appeared to widen the knowledge
gap between low-income and middle-income children.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the
International Reading Association
This study investigates associations between
social skills (aggression and prosocial behavior) and literacy
achievement in a sample of low-income children (between
4 and 6 years old when the study began) during elementary
school. Results revealed consistent associations between
social skills and literacy achievement in the first, third,
and fifth grades, but the patterns of the associations were
different for aggression and prosocial behavior. While the
strength of the association between aggression and literacy
achievement increased over the elementary grades, the association
between prosocial behavior and literacy achievement decreased.
In addition, path analyses revealed that poor literacy achievement
in the first and third grades predicted relatively high
aggressive behavior in the third and fifth grades, respectively.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell
Publishing: www.blackwellpublishing.co.uk
Research has shown that adult-child shared
book reading can enhance language and literacy development
in the early years, although little is known about how mothers
and children from socio-economically disadvantaged communities
interact around books. This study investigated the shared
reading interactions of three mother-child dyads living
in such a community. Mothers were interviewed and videotaped
reading at home with their three-year-old children on four
separate occasions. The practice of shared reading was found
to be common in the homes and mothers felt that reading
with their children was important. Videotapes were transcribed
and analysed using interpretative methods; this analysis
showed substantial differences in the amount and type of
interaction for each dyad. Interactions ranged from text
focused to participatory. Mothers were tuned to their children's
capabilities and children had developed behaviours that
encouraged feedback from their mothers. While many of the
behaviours involved simple discussions around illustrations,
some sophisticated reading behaviours were observed.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Sage
Publications Ltd: www.sagepub.co.uk
Teenage pregnancy is an issue receiving a
growing amount of attention in the United States, with approximately
one million children born to teenage mothers annually. Teen
mothers tend to function less effectively in numerous realms
than their peers who delay child-rearing, and the children
of teen mothers are at greater risk of school failure. In
the present study we surveyed 493 mothers (22% teen mothers)
in order to compare the home literacy environments provided
to preschoolers by teenage versus non-teenage mothers. In
general, the teen mothers provided a home literacy environment
that afforded their children fewer literacy experiences.
The implications of these findings for the development of
oral language and early reading-related skills are discussed.
The purpose of this survey investigation was
to gain insight into the different home literacy practices
of preschool children in some disadvantaged areas across
the state of Victoria, Australia. Findings indicate that
parents read to their children regularly from a young age,
found libraries easy to access and use, and have children
who enjoy books and paper and pencil activities. However,
more than half of them found there was not enough information
available to support them in their child's literacy development.
It is argued here that such information should be made available
as a matter of some urgency and be distributed through libraries.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Sage
Publications Ltd: www.sagepub.co.uk
Building on a growing body of ecological research,
this study examines access to print in two low-income and
two middle-income neighborhood communities in a large industrial
city. It documents the availability of print in these communities,
focusing on resources considered to be influential in a
child's beginning development as a writer and reader. It
describes the likelihood that children will find books and
other resources, see signs, labels, and logos, public places
(spaces) conducive to reading, books in local preschools,
school libraries, and public library branches. Results of
the year-long analysis indicated striking differences between
neighborhoods of differing income in access to print at
all levels of analyses, with middle-income children having
a large variety to choose from, while low-income children
have to rely on public institutions that provide unequal
resources across communities. Such differences in access
to print resources may have important implications for children's
early literacy development.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the
International Reading Association
This study examines the impact of an intervention
targeting economically disadvantaged children in child care
centers. The program was designed to flood over 330 child
care centers with high-quality children's books, at a ratio
of 5 books per child, and provide 10 hours of training to
child-care staff. Conceptualized as a formative experiment,
this study examined the project's impact, systematically
sampling 400 3 and 4-year-old children randomly selected
from 50 centers across 10 regions and 100 control children
from comparable child care centers not involved in the project.
Children's early literacy skills (receptive language, concepts
of print, environmental print, letter name knowledge, concepts
of writing, and narrative competence) were assessed prior
to and following the study. In addition, a posttest-only
sample and a kindergarten sample were included, focusing
on the project's long-term impact. Changes in child care
practices were assessed throughout the project, using photographic
accounts of the physical environments of classrooms, literacy-related
interactions between teachers and children in sample classrooms,
and storybook reading activity in both treatment and control
classrooms. Process measures indicated enhanced physical
access to books, greater verbal interaction around literacy,
and more time spent reading and relating to books as a result
of the intervention. With greater access, children in the
intervention group scored statistically significantly higher
than the control group on four of six assessment measures,
with gains still very much evident 6 months later in kindergarten.
Findings provide powerful support for the physical proximity
of books and the psychological support to child care staff
on children's literacy development.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the
International Reading Association
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