Joint storybook reading and joint writing interventions among low SES preschoolers: differential contributions to early literacy

This study compared two interventions: one focusing on language and storybook reading and the other on alphabetic skills and writing. Seventy-one preschoolers aged 3–5 from a low SES township in central Israel (35 in the reading program and 36 in the writing program) participated in evaluation of the interventions. Twenty-four untreated preschoolers served as a control group. The children were tested twice, at the beginning and at the end of the school year, in: phonological awareness, word writing, letter knowledge, orthographic awareness, listening comprehension, receptive vocabulary, and general knowledge. Both programs involved games and creative activities. The writing program encouraged letter knowledge, phonological awareness, and functional writing activities. The reading program utilized 11 children's books for focusing on language and exploring major concepts raised by these books. Results indicated that children in the two literacy programs progressed significantly more than the control group on phonological awareness and orthographic awareness. However, the joint writing group significantly outperformed both the joint reading group and the control group on phonological awareness, word writing, orthographic awareness, and letter knowledge. We also found that children as young as 3–4 years gained from literacy programs as much as did older children, aged 4–5, on all the measures assessed in our program.     

Jugendliche zwischen Entwicklung und Entfaltung

Der Beitrag thematisiert jugendliche Orientierungsmuster zur Ausgestaltung der Lebensphase Jugend und deren Ver?nderung über die Zeit. Diese entstehen im komplexen Zusammenhang von wahrgenommenen Ressourcen, Einstellungen und Erwartungen Jugendlicher im Hinblick auf die Anforderung der Bew?ltigung von Entwicklungsaufgaben. Zur Abbildung dieser Muster wird auf zwei zentrale Dimensionen zurückgegriffen: auf Entfaltungsorientierung, die den Moratoriumsgedanken, und Entwicklungsorientierung, die den transitiven Charakter der Jugendphase widerspiegelt. Aus der Kombination der Orientierungen Entwicklung und Entfaltung im Anschluss an die Verknüpfung des Transitions-und Moratoriumsgedankens lassen sich vier Typen ableiten. Die Zugeh?rigkeit zu einem Typ ist nicht als statisch zu fassen, sondern ver?ndert sich entsprechend der zunehmenden Bew?ltigung von Entwicklungsaufgaben. Die Ergebnisse veranschaulichen die weitreichende Bedeutung beruflicher Orientierungen Jugendlicher im Zusammenhang mit dem bevorstehenden übergang in den Beruf, die gleichsam Auswirkungen für den gesamten Komplex jugendlicher Orientierungsmuster (Typen) zur Gestaltung der Jugendphase zeitigen.     

Sensitivity and Consistency of Maternal Writing Mediation to Twin Kindergartners

This study investigated whether mothers are responsive to their children's literacy level, thus employing different writing mediation styles with each twin according to the child's level, or whether they possess a consistent style employed with both twins. The sample included 28 sets of twin kindergartners (56 children, M age = 68.89 months) and their mothers. Children's literacy underwent individual assessment in their kindergartens. During home visits, mother-child writing interactions with each twin were videotaped. Interactions underwent analysis for task-specific measures (grapho-phonemic mediation, printing mediation, demand for precision, reference to orthography) and for general measures (atmosphere, mutuality, reinforcements, task perception). Findings demonstrated that along with sensitivity to the child's level (mediating on a higher level to the higher achieving twin), mothers of twins possessed a consistent mediation style. Sensitivity to the differences in literacy between the twins was salient in the task-specific mediation measures, whereas the presence of a style appeared in all the mediation measures. The results of this study support the stance that mothers' mediation style deserves to be acknowledged as an influencing factor in children's literacy development.     

Mother–child joint writing and storybook reading and their effects on kindergartners’ literacy: an intervention study

This study assessed the effects of three different intervention programs on low-SES mother?Cchild joint activities and on their kindergarten-age children??s progress in early literacy and language. Parents in three groups (119 mothers, 5 fathers) were coached to mediate child learning, respectively, in: interactive storybook reading, writing, or visuomotor skills. A group-specific workshop was followed by 7?weeks of tri-weekly structured dyadic interactions and weekly tutorial home visits. A fourth group (control) received no intervention. Results showed implementation success: Mothers coached in interactive storybook reading or writing mediation improved in the coached activity from pretest to immediate posttest and to delayed posttest. Interactive storybook reading improved less for older than younger children, whereas writing mediation improved more for older than younger children. No transfer emerged from one activity to the other: Coaching on reading had no effect on writing or visuomotor skills, and coaching of writing had an effect only on writing. Children??s alphabetic skills were enhanced in the writing mediation-coached group, whereas linguistic competencies, unexpectedly, were not enhanced in the interactive storybook reading-coached group. The significance of writing mediation as a dyadic activity promoting literacy is emphasized.