Code-related aspects of emergent literacy: How prepared are preschoolers for the challenges of literacy in an EFL context?

Abstract

Mauritian children are Kreol speakers who learn to read and write in English and French when they join the primary education system. The government-mandated preschool curriculum mentions the need for the preschool to prepare them for the literacy challenges of the primary school. The aim of this paper is to consider whether preschool children develop code-related literacy skills in their final year at preschool, in readiness for their first year at primary school. I refer to data collected from a longitudinal study of two comparable groups of Mauritian preschoolers. Using data from a pre-test and post-test of their code-related skills, I show how inadequately prepared they seem to be in terms of code-related skills and interest in print-related activities. Some reasons for the findings are explained, highlighting how the 'emergent literacy' discourse of the preschool curriculum has evaded the skill aspects of 'emergent literacy'. Some culturally sensitive recommendations are provided.

Supporting Literacy and Digital Literacy Development in Early Childhood Education Using Storytelling Activities

“…In early literacy development, a distinction is often made between code-and meaning-related skills (Lonigan et al 2011). Code-related skills include print knowledge, alphabet knowledge, and phonological awareness, among other things (Owodally 2015). Meaning-related skills include vocabulary, grammatical ability, and oral narrative ability (Westerveld et al 2015).…”

Deconstructing and Re-Inventing the Concept of Multilingualism: A Case Study of the Mauritian Sociolinguistic Landscape

“…Schools constitute another institutionalised domain of language use and have been important research sites for sociolinguists (Tirvassen 1991(Tirvassen , 2003Auleear Owodally 2010, 2015aand 2015b. The education sector is thought to offer a microscopic view of the local linguistic context, where the hierarchical rapport among languages is more apparent as languages are categorised based on the functions assigned to them.…”