Research in ECSE
Importance of the early years to the development of reading ability
- the process of learning to read is a lengthy one that begins early in life (Snow, et al, , 1998)
- acquisition of reading skills is better viewed as a developmental continuum rather than a phenomenon that begins with formal reading instruction (Neuman, Copple, and Bredecamp, 1999).
- A considerable body of knowledge has demonstrated links between children’s individual differences in emergent literacy and later differences in reading success (Whitehurst et al, 1998)
- Children who enter kindergarten with a lower level of literacy skills generally experience less reading success throughout school.
- Characteristics of the home such as shared book reading, number of books in the home, library visits, and the ways children are involved in conversations are associated with the acquisition of emergent literacy skills (Payne, et al., 1994; Lonigan et al., 1996)
- Young children’s experiences at preschool and day care can also influence children’s emergent literacy (Bryant, Burchinal, Lau & Sparling, 1994)
- Improvements in preschool environments influence children’s early literacy skills (Neuman, et al., 1999, Whitehurst, et al., 1998)