In this study, we examine preschool storybook apps to identify the types of characters represented in these stories and how they relate to design quality and opportunities for children to build their vocabularies -- a significant predictor of later success in learning to read. Specifically, we sought to understand (a) how storybook apps portray…

The importance of having a highly qualified teacher in every classroom is an educational necessity. Determining which teacher characteristics define teacher quality and measuring their impact on student outcomes has offered mixed results. This study explored the effect of teachers' knowledge of language and literacy on their students' reading…

Book giveaway programs provide free books to families with infants to encourage caregivers to begin reading to their children during infancy. This meta-analysis of 44 studies retrieved from 43 articles tests the effects of three major book giveaway programs: Bookstart (n = 11), Reach Out and Read (n = 18), and Imagination Library (n = 15). Effect…

Previous work on the long-term effects of early reading focuses on whether children can read early (i.e. capability) not on whether this is beneficial (i.e. optimality). The Luke Effect is introduced to predict long-term reading development as a function of when children learn to read. A review of correlational, intervention, and comparative…

In this review the authors considered all the documents pertaining to the teaching of reading in Botswana primary schools from independence to the present. The purpose was to get the big picture with regard to the status of reading education. The results are reported in four categories: (1) Reading in the Classroom; (2) Reading and Policy; (3)…

In the art educational therapy (AET) method introduced in this article, school coursework is integrated into art therapy with the aim of facilitating such learning and enhancing the emotional well-being of children with learning difficulties who have experienced stress or trauma. A grounded theory research study based on the cases of 5 middle…

Recent consensus documents are reviewed to define research-based practices in early reading instruction. Examples of professional development that incorporates research-based practices are provided, with particular reference to the Texas Reading Initiative and the authors research project in Houston and in Washington, DC. Data relating gains in…

Reviews information from documents in the ERIC system that deal with such matters as whether preschool children should be taught to read and, if so, whether instruction should be formal or informal. (DD)

Describes factors influencing early literacy development, the key role of parental expectations and priorities, and the interventions that occupational therapists can use in working with children with physical disabilities. (Contains 60 references.) (SK)

This study utilized early reading assessment data from a randomized trial of 210 urban and rural schools in Texas to examine contextual effects on risk prediction in first and second grade. The primary objective was to examine the roles of (a) individual differences, (b) the grade 1 classroom, and (c) the pairing of first and second grade teachers…

An interview with David Olson concerning his current research on the relation between the oral conversational language of preschool children and the formalized language of written texts. (RAE)

Discusses five studies of early reading which suggest that oral language does not necessarily have to precede reading and that if both are learned at the same time they enrich the child's total language base. (DD)

Discusses research and instances of children learning to read and or write in the home without formal instruction, tracing the development of such natural literacy. Argues that literacy is primarily a social process, involving both teaching and learning. (HTH)

Discusses research on early reading as it relates to the phonics versus "look and say" controversy. Considers the courses of action available to parents and teachers which take the findings into account. (RJC)

Reviews research discussing early writing and invented spellings of young children as indicators of their readiness to learn to read and write. (MKM)