Latino Maternal Literacy Beliefs and Practices Mediating Socioeconomic Status and Maternal Education Effects in Predicting Child Receptive Vocabulary

Research Findings: This study investigated the association between Mexican American maternal education and socioeconomic status (SES) and child vocabulary as mediated by parental reading beliefs, home literacy environment (HLE), and parent–child shared reading frequency. As part of a larger study, maternal reports of education level, SES, HLE, and reading beliefs along with child expressive and receptive vocabulary were collected for 252 mothers and their preschool children from 2 demographically similar school districts in 1 county. Correlations were moderate and positive, with higher levels of maternal education related to family income, HLE, book availability, and children’s expressive and receptive vocabulary. Consistent with long-standing evidence, maternal education and SES were predictors of children’s vocabulary, albeit indirectly through maternal reading beliefs, HLE, and reading frequency. Practice or Policy: Findings extend current knowledge about specific pathways through which social class variables impact children’s language. Policy implications, directions for future research, and study limitations are noted.     

The Case of Three Karen Refugee Women and Their Children: Literacy Practices in a Family Literacy Context

The lack of research about the Karen, one of 135 ethnic groups from Myanmar limits literacy educators charged with educating this refugee population in public schools. In this case study the authors explore the literacy practices of Karen families when at school and in their homes and within an ESL family literacy program. The case of these refugee families and their experiences are analyzed within a sociocultural theoretical framework along with a focus on literacy adaptation through the lenses of cross-cultural studies, adult and language teachers involved in literacy practices, and literacy studies. Four core themes emerged from participant observation, including adult/parent learners’ engagement with memorization, parents’ literacy practices through reading texts aloud (recitation) to improve their speaking skills, and parents’ use of computers to engage with American media. The study offers important educational understandings of one of the world’s least known diaspora.     

Shyness and Socioemotional Functioning in Young Chinese Children: The Moderating Role of Receptive Vocabulary

The goal of this study was to explore links among shyness, receptive vocabulary, and indices of socioemotional functioning in a sample of young children in mainland urban China. In particular, we sought to examine the potential moderating role of receptive language in these relations. Participants were N = 360 young children (200 boys, 160 girls, M_age = 4.72 years, SD = 0.63) attending preschool/kindergartens in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Multisource assessments were employed, including maternal ratings (child shyness), standardized tests (receptive vocabulary), child self-reports collected during individual interviews (loneliness), teacher ratings (child internalizing problems), and peer nominations (peer liking). Results indicated that receptive vocabulary moderated (buffering effect) the relations between shyness and several indices of socioemotional functioning. Results are discussed in terms of the implications of language skills for early school adjustment of young shy Chinese children.     

The Impact of Vocabulary Instruction on Passage-Level Comprehension of School-Age Children: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

A meta-analysis of vocabulary interventions in grades pre-K to 12 was conducted with 37 studies to better understand the impact of vocabulary on comprehension. Vocabulary instruction was found to be effective at increasing students' ability to comprehend text with custom measures (d = 0.50), but was less effective for standardized measures (d = 0.10). When considering only custom measures, and controlling for method variables, students with reading difficulties (d = 1.23) benefited more than three times as much as students without reading problems (d = 0.39) on comprehension measures. Gains on vocabulary measures, however, were comparable across reading ability. In addition, the correlation of vocabulary and comprehension effects from studies reporting both outcomes was modest (r = .43).     

A Quasi-Experiment Examining Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary Knowledge of Preschool Head Start Children Using Mobile Media Apps

This study examined the efficacy of using different types of mobile media apps to increase the receptive and expressive vocabulary development of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old preschool children living in economically disadvantaged communities. Children and teachers in four Head Start classrooms participated in the quasi-experimental study, which included an 8-week intervention in which the children interacted with one of two types of apps: one classroom used four scaffolding-like vocabulary apps for an average of 1.8 h per day (n?=?16) and one classroom used four open-ended vocabulary apps for an average of 1.3 h per day (n?=?15). Two classrooms served as comparison groups (n?=?18; n?=?14) which used apps that were chosen by the Head Start program with no specific instructional method for approximately 1 h per day. Children’s vocabulary was assessed pre- and post-intervention using the PPVT-4, the EVT-2, and iPad Receptive and Expressive Vocabulary Assessments. Using a repeated measures analysis of variance with split plot analysis, children who used scaffolding-like vocabulary apps performed statistically significantly higher on the PPVT-4 than children who used open-ended vocabulary apps. There were no significant differences between groups on the EVT-2. The study contributed to the literature on teacher instruction of utilizing scaffolding-like apps to increase preschool vocabulary knowledge.     

脱贫地区0-6岁儿童家庭养育状况调查

家庭作为社会最基本的细胞组织,发挥重要的抚育和教育功能。2020年,为全面了解脱贫地区0-6岁儿童家庭养育状况,中国儿童中心和中国发展研究基金会联合开展了“脱贫地区儿童早期发展”课题研究,通过对5353名0-6岁儿童及其家庭进行调查,从家庭基本情况、家庭喂养、家庭教育、家庭支持服务四个方面展现了脱贫地区的家庭养育情况。调查发现,脱贫地区的总体家庭养育状况良好,但家长的科学养育意识和社会的家庭支持服务仍有待进一步加强,建议通过制定政策、采取措施、配置资源等方式,从营养健康、教育服务、家长指导等方面促进脱贫地区儿童的早期发展。     

The Impact of an Ongoing Professional Development Program on Prekindergarten Teachers' Mathematics Practices

Mathematics is a natural part of daily life for young children as they explore and investigate the world around them. To build on these experiences, and to begin establishing a mathematical foundation, early childhood educators must not only be knowledgeable about mathematical concepts, they must also be aware of the most developmentally appropriate ways in which to teach these concepts to young children. After participation in an ongoing professional development program, specifically targeting teachers of prekindergarten children in public school, Preschool Programs for Children with Disabilities (PPCD), Head Start, and child care settings, teachers reported positive changes in math practices. Specifically, teachers reported a stronger alignment to national mathematics standards and increased awareness pertaining to developmentally appropriate mathematics practices as they apply to early childhood classrooms. Teachers reported a shift towards more hands-on activities and a shift away from the use of worksheets in their prekindergarten classrooms. Implications from this study suggest that ongoing professional development that is designed to meet the specific needs of early childhood educators can have a positive impact on reported mathematics content knowledge and instructional practices.     

The Impact of the Bible on the English Vocabulary

The Bible,which covers ancient Hebrew and Greek politics,history,legislation,philosophy,geography,traditions,cus toms and arts,has been regarded as an all-including encyclopedia.Moreover,its brief,specific but natural and graceful language is cherished as English learners’delicacies.A good command of its words will help people with their studies of English and Western culture.The paper aims at understanding the essence of the English language and western culture on the basis of researching Eng lish vocabulary to the Bible is derived.     

Establishing a Family Literacy Program with a Focus on Interactive Reading: The Role of Research and Accountability

Family literacy programs abound today, and many try to be all things to all participating families. Funding has eroded for programs of long length and shorter length programs need a specific focus to aim for a modicum of success. This article provides an overview of the importance of interactive reading for children’s future success in school, providing clear reasons for having it as a program focus. Specific research-based interactive reading behaviors which act as program objectives and a linked interactive reading assessment for accountability purposes are described. Methods of serving and recruiting diverse families are also explored. An example of a program is provided to demonstrate how to design a family literacy program of manageable length that leads to measurable gains in joint reading behaviors.     

Family Reading Behavior and Early Literacy Skills in Preschool Children From Low-Income Backgrounds

This study investigated the family reading behavior of 233 preschool children from low-income backgrounds who were attending Head Start. Parents completed a survey of their family reading behavior, including Child Reading, Parent Reading Interest, and Parent-Child Reading Interaction, and provided demographic data on their educational level, parent and child age, and family size. Children's receptive vocabulary, story and print concepts, letter knowledge, and general emergent literacy skills were assessed in the fall of their preschool year. Analyses focused on the variation in family reading behavior, the relationship between different dimensions of family reading behavior, and the contribution of family reading behavior to early literacy skills. Results indicated that Parent-Child Reading Interaction and Child Reading Interest were significantly related to children's early literacy skills. In addition, multiple regression analyses indicated that Parent-Child Reading Interaction was a small yet significant predictor of children's receptive vocabulary, story and print concepts, and general emergent literacy skills, above and beyond the influence of demographic variables. Child Reading Interest was a significant, albeit small, predictor of letter knowledge above and beyond these demographic controls. Implications of these results for the early literacy education of children of low-income families are discussed.     

校外学习时间和数学素养对财经素养的影响:来自PISA的结果

使用来自上海市155个学校的1197名中学生参加PISA2012年数学素养测试的数据,探讨校外学习时间和数学素养对财经素养的影响作用,建构并验证一个中介效应模型。研究结果显示,学生的校外学习时间正向影响其财经素养水平,这一影响作用是通过学生的数学素养而达到的,即数学素养在校外学习时间与财经素养之间起完全中介效应。     

Unique Effects of a Family Literacy Program on the Early Reading Development of English Language Learners

Research Findings: The present study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on the early English reading development of speakers of English as a first language (EL1s) and English language learners (ELLs). The study included a linguistically and culturally diverse sample of 132 kindergarten children and their parents. Families in the experimental group participated in a 9-week intervention program that was designed to promote early literacy in the home, whereas those in the control group did not receive the intervention. Both the experimental and control groups included EL1 and ELL children. Dependent variables included children's gains in alphabet knowledge, conventions of print, and meaning. Results indicated that ELL children in the experimental group made greater gains in their knowledge of the alphabet and their ability to infer meaning from print than EL1 children in the experimental group and both ELL and EL1 controls. There were no language group differences in children's gains in conventions of print. Practice or Policy: The results suggest that Family Literacy programs are associated with differential effects on the English reading development of EL1 and ELL children. Educational implications related to the development and implementation of effective Family Literacy programs for diverse communities are discussed.     

Enhancing Television Literacy Skills Among Preschool Children Through an Intervention Program in the Kindergarten

A study amongst 150 preschool children assigned to experimental and control groups indicates that an intervention program supported by systematic teachers' mediation can enhance preschoolers interpretive skills of television material, such as the ability to identify elements of fantasy in a television presentation in relation to special effects, the ability to bridge temporal and logical gaps, the ability to identify elements of camera work and their visual implications and the ability to make intelligent predictions based on inference from visual cues.     

Development of Rapid Temporal Processing and Its Impact on Literacy Skills in Primary School Children

In a longitudinal study, auditory and visual temporal order thresholds (TOTs) were investigated in primary school children (N = 236; mean age at first data point = 6;7) at the beginning of Grade 1 and the end of Grade 2 to test whether rapid temporal processing abilities predict reading and spelling at the end of Grades 1 and 2. Auditory and visual TOTs differed but showed comparable developmental trajectories over 20 months. Visual TOTs were not predictive of literacy measures; auditory TOTs in Grade 1 were the best predictor. Interestingly, they were related to spelling in Grade 2 while auditory TOTs in Grade 2 were not, suggesting that rapid auditory processing abilities have a causal influence on literacy development.     

A Pilot Study of the Impact of Double-Dose Robust Vocabulary Instruction on Children's Vocabulary Growth

ABSTRACT

Double-dose instruction, in which instructional lessons are supplemented to provide additional instructional time, is a mechanism used in some schools for boosting outcomes in certain academic areas. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of double-dose vocabulary instruction, relative to single-dose and business-as-usual control instruction, for pre-kindergarteners through third-graders in a quasi-experimental pilot study; the vocabulary instruction was embedded in a more broadly focused language-comprehension intervention. Pretest, posttest, and measures of targeted vocabulary were collected over a 21-week period of implementation to investigate children's vocabulary development during the intervention. In general, single- and double-dose instruction resulted in equivalent effects on children's learning of targeted vocabulary, although effect-size estimates were always larger for the double-doses condition relative to single dose. Both were superior to the business-as-usual instruction, with effect-size estimates similar to that seen in the vocabulary-intervention literature. The results of this pilot study suggest that increased instructional time devoted to vocabulary development only may not provide enhanced outcomes for some students, and thus may not be a worthwhile investment of school resources compared to other language-based instruction.