This paper deals with the relation between children's home literacy environments (HLE) and their literacy development in the first phase of primary school. On the basis of a broad conceptualisation of the HLE, we identified three home literacy profiles (rich, self-directed, and poor HLE). Firstly, we related these profiles to socio-cultural factors (more specifically, ethnicity and socio-economic status [SES]). We found an association between the HLEs and ethnicity/SES, indicating that (Dutch) majority children and children from high SES families had, in general, the most stimulating HLEs. On the other hand, we observed considerable variability in HLEs within ethnic minority and low SES groups. Subsequently, we related the HLE profiles to literacy outcomes in kindergarten, first and second grade. We found that, after controlling for relevant background characteristics, the HLE had an effect on children's vocabulary scores in first grade, and their general reading comprehension both in in first and second grade.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell Publishing.
This study examined mothers' beliefs about literacy development, the association of those beliefs with other aspects of the home literacy environment, and connections between parental literacy beliefs and pre-school aged children's literacy development. Data were collected from 79 mothers and their children over on e year, and two profiles of parental literacy beliefs emerged. 'Facilitative' mothers believed that taking an active role in teaching children at home would provide opportunities for their children to gain vocabulary, knowledge, and morals. 'Conventional' mothers expressed the belief that schools, more than parents, are responsible for teaching children and tended to report many challenges to reading with children. Homes with Facilitative mothers tended to be more literacy enriching than homes of Conventional mothers, and children with Facilitative mothers displayed more advanced print knowledge and interest in reading. These findings have implications for understanding the connections among parental literacy beliefs, home literacy environments, and children's literacy outcomes.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Sage Publications Ltd: www.sagepub.co.uk
Relatively few studies of family literacy programmes have investigated parents' views, despite their importance for the future development of this kind of programme in early childhood education. This article reports on a family literacy programme from the perspectives of the parents involved in it. The study was carried out in socio-economically disadvantaged communities in a northern English city. Parent experiences were investigated through interviews at the beginning and end of the programme (N = 85) and home visit records. Interviews with a control group (N = 73) of parents who had never participated in a family literacy programme were also conducted at the end of programme. Take-up and participation rates were extremely high for child-focused components of the programme, but the adult (parent-focused) education component had lower take-up. Parents expressed extremely positive views about the child-focused component of the programme and all felt it had benefited children. There was evidence, according to parent report, of programme impact on family literacy practices. Implications for family literacy programmes are discussed.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Sage Publications Ltd: www.sagepub.co.uk
A key to supporting a child's emerging literacy is building relationships with adults and peers through interactions around literacy activities. The development of sustained relationships with adults who engage a child in authentic conversations increases the opportunities for the child to build literacy connections. Robust relationships with caring adults are especially important in meeting the social and emotional needs of children who may be unable to benefit from traditional, curriculum-driven, academic instruction. This article focuses on strategies that support social relationships around literacy learning in malleable environments that mold to the continually developing child, especially young children who struggle to learn the skills needed to read and write.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the Taylor and Francis Group: www.tandf.co.uk
Many pupils experience difficulties in literacy apart from those whose individual learning needs are recognized for special resourcing. Their parents and carers are, potentially, an important source of additional support in encouraging literacy acquisition. Embedded within different home-school partnership arrangements are presuppositions about the ability and right of families and/or carers from a diversity of backgrounds and cultures to support the literacy development of their children. These presuppositions can serve to include or alienate both parents and their children. In addition, embedded within particular approaches and strategies for developing literacy are a variety of underlying assumptions about the process of literacy acquisition. This article will illustrate these issues with reference to particular programmes and techniques currently in common use in schools for supporting the literacy acquisition of children who experience difficulties. It will go on to outline the fundamental importance of schools recognizing these issues in order that they may negotiate effective home-school literacy programmes which can harness all available resources to address difficulties in literacy development.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the Taylor and Francis Group: www.tandf.co.uk
Research indicates that both home literacy activities and direct instruction of reading skills promote reading development. The current study investigates how parent-led direct teaching activities impact emergent literacy. Preschool children (n = 47) were administered subtests from the Test of Early Reading Ability-3 and the Kaufman Survey of Early Academic and Language Skills. In addition, parents responded to a questionnaire about direct teaching of literacy activities implemented within the home. The majority of parents reported directly teaching their children literacy skills (86%), particularly letter names (71%) and sounds (65%). Fewer parents reported directly teaching printing letters (45%), writing words (29%), reading words (26%), or reading stories (26%). A trend emerged in which children receiving any direct instruction scored higher on most emergent literacy tasks. However, statistical significance was only found in a few areas including direct teaching of alphabet knowledge and writing words. Implications for family literacy and for future research are discussed.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the Taylor and Francis Group: www.tandf.co.uk
This study compared the rates of different types of joint book reading behaviors of parents of preschool children with and without language impairments using two different text genres. Participants included 72 preschool children between the ages of 51 and 70 months. Fifty-five children were typically developing and 17 were diagnosed with language impairments. Parent-child dyads were videotaped during periods of joint book reading using two different types of text (one alphabet-rhyming and one narrative). Results indicated parents rarely used reading behaviors known to enhance their preschoolers' phonological awareness. However, when used, there was a significant difference between the two types of texts. The alphabet book elicited a higher rate of phonological awareness and print concept behaviors, while the narrative book resulted in parents using more content behaviors. In addition, the parents of typically developing children used more phonological awareness behaviors than the parents of children with language impairments.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Elsevier: www.elsevier.com
This study examined the strategies parents use naturally to help early readers at difficult points of text or pronunciation. Forty-two children were videotaped reading to a parent. Results suggest parents are not likely to provide specific instructional feedback when listening to their children read. When given, parental feedback tends to be well tuned to the child's reading ability, with parents of less skilled readers providing richer and more varied feedback than parents of more skilled readers. A tree clustering analysis placed parents in one of three groups: 1) 'Learner centred' parents use a variety of feedback strategies, 2) 'Inactive' parents allow their children to continue uncorrected; 3) 'Direct' parents supply the miscued word. The children of 'learner centred' parents did not perform as well as children of 'inactive' parents of measures of reading ability, possibly because parents of better readers no longer need to be 'learner centred'.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Blackwell Publishing.
This article reports on a small-scale study which examined the home literacy practices of a group of 3 and 4 year-old children in a working-class community in the north of England and explored how far these practices were reflected in the curriculum of the nursery the children attended. The data illustrate that there was a dissonance between out-of-school and schooled literacy practices and that there was more evidence of nursery literacy practices infiltrating the home than vice versa. Children's literacy practices in the home were focused on media and popular cultural texts and the article argues for greater recognition of these contemporary cultural practices in early years policy documentation and curriculum guidance.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the Taylor and Francis Group: www.tandf.co.uk
Student reading skills are below grade level in many schools and professionals are constantly searching for new ideas to enhance reading curricula. To address this problem in one elementary school, a parent/school reading programme was implemented. Parents were encouraged to increase the amount of time spent reading with their children at home and the school provided easily accessible reading materials, suggestions for encouraging reading at home, prizes and special activities. Programme participants demonstrated a higher increase in reading rate and accuracy than the matched peers. Prior to implementation and at the end of the reading programme, parents and students who chose to participate in the programme reported positive attitudes toward reading together. Implications of these results are discussed and an emphasis is placed on expanding research in the area.
Abstract reproduced with permission of the International Reading Association
Children's early interest in shared reading is thought to be important to later reading achievement. However, influences on such interest have not been adequately studied. The present study evaluated whether parents can affect their children's interest in shared reading, using a multimethod assessment. Twenty-five parents and their preschool-aged children were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or an attention-control group. Parents in the interest intervention group learned strategies thought to be important to fostering interest in shared reading. After one week, children in the intervention group were more interest in shared reading compared to children in the attention-control group. After four weeks, intervention parents still reported increased child interest, though direct observations suggested somewhat diminished effects. These results provide a rare experimental evaluation of parental influence on interest, and suggest potential value in further developing interest interventions.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Elsevier: www.elsevier.com
This investigation used structural equation modeling to examine sources of children's reading, vocabulary, general information, mathematics, and letter recognition skills upon entrance to kindergarten. Potential predictors included ethnicity, gender, child IQ, family literacy environment, maternal education, and months in child care centres. Family literacy environment had positive causal links with four of five academic measures. Greater number of months in child care centers was associated with higher mathematics scores among children from less educated mothers who scored low on a measure of family literacy environment. In contrast, no effects of child care were found for children from mothers with more education. Implications include the need for strong parental involvement in children's development and subsidized child care for children in need.
Abstract reproduced with permission of Elsevier Journals: www.elsevier.com
Economic and social class differences in literacy-specific experiences and access to print resources have been widely documented. This study examined an intervention strategy designed to provide access to literacy materials and opportunities for parent-child storybook reading in three Head Start Centres. There were three specific objectives: (1) to examine the influence of text type (highly predictable, episodic predictable, and narrative) on patterns of interaction between parents and children; (2) to examine whether there were differences in these patterns of interaction between low proficiency and proficient parent readers; and (3) to examine gains in receptive language and concepts of print scores for children of low proficiency and proficient parent readers. Forty-one parents and their children participated in the study; 18 low proficiency parent readers and 23 proficient parent readers were involved in a 12-week book club. Results indicated that text type affected patterns of interaction and that parents' reading proficiency influenced conversational interactions, with different text types serving as a scaffold for parent-child interaction. Regardless of parental reading proficiency, however, children's receptive language and concepts of print improved significantly, providing further evidence for the importance of parental storybook reading on children's emerging literacy.
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