Preschool teachers’ perspectives on emergent literacy in young children
Background: Children gain meaningful literacy experiences from a very young age, even before receiving formal reading and writing instructions in school. In the preschool years, preschools and early child learning centres play a major role in facilitating the emergent literacy experiences.
Aim: The present study examines the perspectives of 123 preschool teachers from two preschool types (Private and Anganwadi) on emergent literacy in the Indian context.
Method/approach: Using a semi-structured interview, the preschool teachers’ perspectives were sought on the activities and methods used for teaching young children, activities they considered to enhance children’s participation in the learning process, the teaching materials that were available in their setups, their ways of involving parents in children’s learning, and the features they observed in children who exhibited some difficulties in reading. Ethical approval and informed consent from the study participants were obtained before the study began.
Results/findings: The teachers reported the use of emergent literacy activities, including literacy in play, shared book reading, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, emerging reading and writing skills, and the concept of books and print. Preschool teachers encouraged parental involvement to support their child’s literacy development. Although the preschool teachers were aware of some common red flags related to reading-writing and oral language deficits, a lower percentage for each listed feature was noted.
Conclusion: The study findings echo the need for regular in-service teacher training programs focusing on emergent literacy-based activities and sensitising preschool teachers regarding the early red flags for learning difficulties in preschool years.
Implications for children and families: You, as parents, can be actively involved in your child’s learning activities, in their native language and cultural contexts.
Implications for practitioners: You need to focus on foundational skills for enhancing language-literacy skills in young children.
Keywords: preschool children, preschool teachers, emergent literacy
This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: