No abstract

Bookstart, an early intervention strategy to develop the foundations of literacy in children's early years, was developed in Birmingham 10 years ago. Virtually all the research, conducted over that time, which made it a national and international project, was quantitative in nature. This research is contextualised and reviewed in the early sections of this paper. However, the importance of the data presented here is that they are qualitative and represent the views of professionals engaged in a Bookstart project in one borough. The article shows how both qualitative evidence and quantitative data point in the same direction to the effectiveness of Bookstart as an intervention strategy to facilitate literacy learning in the early years.

This follow-up of the effects of the national Bookstart pilot study compares samples of urban families using structured interviews in home visits. Two years later those families whose babies had been introduced to books in the original experiment gave more priority to looking at books, buying books as presents and book sharing between parents and children was a more frequent activity in the home. RF:S UMF: Ce suivi des effets de l'dtude pilote nationale Bookstart compare des exemples de familles urbaines, ?l l'aide d'entretiens directifs rdalisds ?~ domicile. Deux ans apr~s, on constate que les familles dont les b~bds avaient ~td familiarisds avec livres, au cours de l'expdrience initiate, privildgient te fait de lire des livres et d' en offrir comme cadeaux. De plus, parents et enfants partagent plus de temps autour du livre ?l la maison. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Diese zweite Untersuchung and Auswertung des nationalen Bookstart-Projektes vergleicht ausgewfihlte stfidtische Familien, die bei Hausbesuchen mittels eines strukturierten Interviews befragt wurden. Nach zwei Jahren wurden dem Anschauen, Verschenken und Austausch von Biichern in jenen Familien, in welchen die Kleinkinder am An fang des Versuches mit Bfdchern bekannt gemacht wurden, h6here Prioritfit gegeben als der Vergleichsgruppe. RES UMEN Este seguimiento de los efectos del estudio piloto nacional "Bookstart " compara muestras de familias urbanas utilizando entrevistas estructuradas realizadas durantes visitas en casas. Dos afios despuds, aquellas familias a cuyos hijos se habian presentado los libros en el experimento original mostraron un mayor interds por hojear y comprar libros para regalos. Tambidn el compartir libros entre los padres y los hijos ha sido una actividad mds habitual en esos casas.

No abstract

The paper reports the results of a longitudinal case study conducted in Australia and New Zealand. The study compares the reading and comprehension age of children in their fifth and sixth years in school. Reading and comprehension ages of 121 children who had Reading Recovery intervention at age 6 were compared with those of a Comparison group of 121 children, drawn from the same classes who, at age 6 years, had been better performers in literacy. Reading and comprehension assessment was conducted with the use of the Neale Analysis of Reading and analysed by means of a t-test. Results show that the mean reading age of ex-Reading Recovery children was nearly 12 months superior to that of the Comparison group and that the mean comprehension age was nearly 13 months superior at very highly significant levels. The results strongly suggest that Reading Recovery tuition at age 6 years enabled the 121 ex-Reading Recovery children to make greater progress in literacy than children in the Comparison group.