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Challenging Contexts • Oral Language • Emergent Literacy • Parent and the Home
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Articles on Emergent Literacy
Dulay, K. M., Cheung, S. K., Reyes, P., & McBride, C. (2019). Effects of parent coaching on Filipino children’s numeracy, language, and literacy skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(4), 641-662.
This study evaluated the impact of a 12-week parent coaching program for numeracy, language, and literacy skills among 3- to 5-year-old children from low- to middle-income families in the Philippines. Results demonstrated relatively specific effects of program content on children’s skills. Children who received the numeracy program improved in their numeracy skills (e.g., identifying numerals, counting objects), children who received the dialogic reading program learned more words that were in the storybooks that they were exposed to, and children who received early literacy skills training learned more letters, demonstrated better awareness of print functions and conventions, and had better syllable deletion skills at post-test.
Puranik, C.S., Phillips, B.M., Lonigan, C.J., Gibson, E. (2018). Home literacy practices and preschool children’s emergent writing skills: An initial investigation, Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 42, 228-238.
Home literacy practices are known to facilitate children’s oral language and reading skills. In this study previous work is expanded upon by examining the amount and types of writing-related home practices that parents engage in with their young preschool children. The relation between these home practices and the development of writing skills in 4- and 5-year old preschool children is also examined. Correlations between parental teaching activities and child independent activities and letter writing, spelling and spontaneous writing were found to be statistically significant. Results from the multi-level modelling indicated that parental teaching predicted a child’s letter writing, spelling, and spontaneous writing skills whereas child independent practices predicted letter writing and spontaneous writing but not spelling. Results of this study clearly indicate that practices in the home include writing related activities and that these activities have an impact on children’s writing development.
Puranik, C.S., Lonigan, C.J. (2011). From Scribbles to Scrabble: Preschool Children’s Developing Knowledge of Written Language, Read Writ, 24, 567–589.
This study concurrently examines the development of written language across different writing tasks and investigates how writing features develop in preschool children. Emergent written language knowledge of 372 preschoolers is assessed using numerous writing tasks. The findings indicate that children demonstrate knowledge about writing before beginning school and receiving formal instruction. There is clear evidence to support the claim that universal writing features develop before language-specific features. Children as young as 3 years possess knowledge regarding universal and language- specific writing features. Preschoolers appear to progress along a continuum from scribbling to conventional spelling. Although this progression is sequential, children’s writing proficiency is task dependent. Implications of these findings on writing development are discussed.
