Effects of extending disadvantaged families’ teaching of emergent literacy

Bibliographic Data

ID11483110
AuthorsPETER HANNON (0000-0002-2291-9961, The School of Education, The University of Sheffield), Cathy Nutbrown (0000-0001-6100-7511, The School of Education, The University of Sheffield, corresponding author), Anne Morgan (0000-0002-7607-2743, The School of Education, The University of Sheffield)
Year2020
Volume35
Issue3
Pages310-336
Publication date2020-05-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueResearch Papers in Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0267-1522 • E-ISSN: 1470-1146
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02671522.2019.1568531
OpenAlexW2911237240
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited36

Intervention to raise the literacy achievement of disadvantaged groups in society has focused on preschool literacy development because it is predictive of later educational achievement and because research has shown that key strands of literacy emerge very early in childhood. Intervention programmes to promote emergent literacy are likely to be more effective if they involve families rather than children alone but meta-analyses reveal effect sizes for family-based programmes are variable and generally lower for disadvantaged families. This article suggests reasons for limited effectiveness and reports a study of a preschool intervention programme that used a particular conceptual framework, and approach, in working with families to extend their facilitative (rather than instructional) teaching of several strands of emergent literacy. Disadvantaged families with three-year-olds were invited to join a long-duration, low-intensity programme before school entry. Home visiting was a core component of the programme, alongside community based and centre-based activities, supplemented by other means of communication. A randomised controlled trial, involving 176 families, was used to investigate effects on children’s literacy at the end of the programme and two years later. The intervention was found to be effective; effects persisted at follow up for children of mothers with low educational levels. Practice, policy and future research implications are discussed

Developmental psychology · Disadvantaged · Early childhood · Early literacy · Family literacy · Intervention (counseling · Literacy · Mathematics education · Medical education · Pedagogy · Political science · Child Development and Digital Technology · Medicine · Parental Involvement in Education · Psychology · Reading and Literacy Development

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access