Interactive Reading to Improve Language and Emergent Literacy Skills of Preschool Children from Low Socioeconomic and Language-Minority Backgrounds

Children with low socioeconomic status and language-minority backgrounds generally have weak precursory skills (language and emergent literacy) for learning written language. These skills can be stimulated through interactive reading sessions. Our innovative study for French-speaking Belgium aimed t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Early childhood education journal 2020-09, Vol.48 (5), p.549-560
Main Authors: Thomas, Nathalie, Colin, Cécile, Leybaert, Jacqueline
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alphabets
Comparative Analysis
Control Groups
Education
Emergent Literacy
French
Individualized Instruction
Interaction
Intervention
Kindergarten
Language
Language Minorities
Language Skills
Learning and Instruction
Literacy
Measures (Individuals)
Morphology (Languages)
Phonological Awareness
Preschool children
Reading
Reading Difficulties
Reading Instruction
Second Language Learning
Socioeconomic factors
Socioeconomic Status
Sociology
Sociology of Education
Syntax
Teaching Methods
Vocabulary Development
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Children with low socioeconomic status and language-minority backgrounds generally have weak precursory skills (language and emergent literacy) for learning written language. These skills can be stimulated through interactive reading sessions. Our innovative study for French-speaking Belgium aimed to evaluate the effects of an interactive reading intervention in kindergarten classes, including children with a low socioeconomic status and a language-minority background. The convenience sample consisted of eight schools with differentiated teaching in Brussels city-center. The treatment group, which benefits from interactive reading sessions, include 11 classes (N = 194) and the control group was comprised of eight classes (N = 91). The teachers of the treatment group worked with their class during 30 sessions of interactive reading (3 sessions/week). Pre and post-intervention language and emergent literacy measures were conducted. Children from the treatment group evolved significantly better in postintervention for language (vocabulary, morphosyntax) and emergent literacy skills (print awareness, letter knowledge and phonological awareness), compared to the control group. The implications for kindergarten curricula are discussed.
ISSN:1082-3301
1573-1707
DOI:10.1007/s10643-020-01022-y