The role of phonological awareness and alphabet knowledge in learning to read is well established in mono-lingual English speakers. However, it is under explored in the context of English Language Learners (ELL), especially in regions like India where the native language differs phonologically and orthographically from the target literate…

Early reading skills are a prerequisite for children to acquire subsequent reading skills. Many online programs have been reported to be effective in improving students' reading skills. However, there is limited evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of online early reading programs for students with intellectual disability (ID). Using a…

We describe the rationale for- and content of- a freely available, novel, theoretically driven and evidence-based approach to improving the teaching of word reading in reception classrooms called 'Flexible Phonics'. Flexible Phonics (FP) adds measurable value to-, rather than wholly replacing, existing synthetic phonics programmes. The rationale…

This article contributes to understanding the effectiveness of early grade reading interventions in low-income-country contexts and how and why such interventions vary in their effectiveness across schools. It presents the results from an impact evaluation of an early grade reading intervention in Haiti with a mixed-methods analysis of factors…

Creating an environment suitable for language acquisition through shared reading significantly contributes to improving a child's language development and parent-child relationship. Reading in an interactive way, such as dialogic reading, is favorable. Nevertheless, dialogic reading is designed for children above the age of two and shared reading…

Australian children read for pleasure less and less as they move through primary school, with a noticeable decline emerging in the middle primary school years (Scholastic, 2019). It has also been found that "reading for pleasure at school" has become de-prioritised in primary schools, with greater emphasis in the broader literacy…

Based on an analysis of three literacy events in nursery schools, this article focuses on how literacy forms part of children's social practices and co-creates the language environment in the nursery and how place, affect and materiality play a key role in children's multimodal and embodied meaning-making around literacy. The analysis is based on…

This paper outlines the findings of an empirical research study exploring how early years settings support under-threes with their early reading development in England. The data was collected through a mixed methodological approach of a survey (n = 60 respondents), five semi-structured interviews and two focus group workshops to explore the…

Purpose: This longitudinal study examined the contribution of preschool morphological awareness to word reading skills and reading comprehension, as well as to the developmental change of reading ability beyond other well-established oral language and cognitive predictors. A distinction was made between the domains of inflectional and derivational…

This paper explores how the neoliberal policy directives relating to the teaching of phonics in schools in England, influences the pedagogy of early years educators (EYEs) working with under-threes. The research highlights that these EYEs are confounded by early reading (ER), given that there is no clear definition or provision separating ER from…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine if word reading and vocabulary are reciprocally related. Method: We followed a sample of 172 English-speaking Canadian children (82 girls, 90 boys; M[subscript age] = 75.87 months at the first measurement point) from the beginning of Grade 1 until the beginning of Grade 3 and assessed them three…

This paper reports on a mixed-methods study of the "Total Reading Approach for Children Plus" (TRAC+) program, with a particular focus on its mobile learning element, where tablets and an app called "Aan Khmer" (Read Khmer) were introduced into Cambodian schools to assist 'struggling students' in Grades 1 to 3 learn early…

An early home literacy environment is essential to children's later reading development. However, few studies have explored the home literacy environment's influence on Chinese reading in preschoolers across a wide age range. The present study mainly investigated the effects of the home literacy environment on Chinese word reading in 3- to…

Early literacy skills serve as the best precursors of reading success and risk indicators of the double deficit and triple deficit hypotheses according to the spelling consistency of languages. Our study analyzes the predictive value of phonological awareness, naming speed, and orthographic skills for early reading in Spanish. Participants…

The contemporary 'notion' of Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) is primarily associated with the professionalization and policy review of the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workforce in England. As such, although considered to advocate reputed prospects and potential for graduates 'leading' provision for under-fives, remains for many…