Early Childhood Teacher Practices to Promote Children’s Literacy Interest in Relation to Classroom and Teacher Characteristics and Attitudes

Principal Investigator:
Eleni Zgourou

Abstract:
The goal of the study was to examine early childhood teachers' practices to promote children's literacy interest, defined as interest in literacy practices in a diverse sample. Drawing data from a survey administered to early childhood teachers in the state of NJ, the study will discuss findings related to the frequency with which teachers incorporate strategies to promote children’s interest in literacy practices, and the relationship of these practices with the quality of their classroom literacy environment. Recommendations for future research and implications for practice will be discussed.

Description of Research:
Children’s literacy interest, defined as their interest in literacy practices, such as book reading, oral storytelling, and writing (Baroody & Diamond, 2016), has been associated with children’s language and literacy skills (Zgourou et al., 2021). Children who have strong language and literacy skills during early childhood are more likely to succeed later in school (Lonigan et al., 2008). Despite the importance of children’s literacy interest for their later development, however, little is known about how teachers support children’s literacy interest in their early childhood classrooms. Furthermore, less is known about how teachers’ strategies to support children’s literacy interest are related to teacher and classroom characteristics since most research to date has examined those associations with instructional practices in general (Purtell & Ansari, 2018) without a clear focus on strategies supporting children’s literacy interest. The purpose of this study thus is to fill this research gap.

Early childhood teachers were asked to complete an anonymous survey, asking participants to rate the frequency with which they implemented a number of strategies in their classrooms to promote literacy interest. Descriptive statistics indicated that the most frequent strategies teachers implemented to support children’s literacy interest included praising children’s literacy efforts to boost their self-confidence, demonstrating excitement when they engage children in literacy activities, integrating literacy into daily routines, and bringing in the classroom books that matched children’s interests.

Findings of this study will also report on relations among teachers' practices to promote literacy interest and the quality of their classroom literacy environment. Implications for practice and recommendations for future directions will be discussed.

References

Baroody, A. E., & Diamond, K. E. (2016). Associations among preschool children's classroom literacy environment, interest and engagement in literacy activities, and early reading skills. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 14, 146–162. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X14529280

Lonigan, C.J., Schatschneider C., & Westberg L. (2008). Identification of children’s skills and abilities linked to later outcomes in reading, writing, and spelling. In The National Early Literacy Panel (ed.) Developing Early Literacy (pp. 55–106). Jessup, MD: National Institute for Literacy

Purtell, K. M., & Ansari, A. (2018). Classroom age composition and preschoolers’ school readiness: The implications of classroom quality and teacher qualifications. Aera Open, 4(1), https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858418758300

Zgourou, E., Bratsch‐Hines, M., & Vernon‐Feagans, L. (2021). Home literacy practices in relation to language skills of children living in low‐wealth rural communities. Infant and Child Development, 30(1). https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.2201