Early literacy materials and teacher practices in preschool classrooms

Abstract

In this qualitative study, the aim was to examine early literacy materials used by teachers in preschool classrooms as well as teachers’ practices that were related to early literacy instruction. The participants of this qualitative study were 52 preschool teachers working in 22 public schools in the city of Uşak, Turkey. The Early Literacy Material Control Form was used to examine materials in the classrooms and one-to-one interviews were made with a semi-structured interview form to understand the practices of teachers. Results indicated that the preschool classes were lacking a sufficient amount and type of early literacy materials as well as activities chosen to stimulate early literacy skills development among children. There were shortcomings in effective literacy environment, book variety and the inclusion of diverse and interesting visuals in classroom. It was determined that teachers generally do mathematical activities and asked children to engage in drawing lines for their early literacy skills development. The most used method in the implementation of activities was the use of books and/or worksheets. Based on these findings, alternative ways to support early literacy skills and carrying out training programs which place more emphasis on early literacy materials and classroom practices are recommended.

Exploring the Effects of Teachers’ Practices in the Early Childhood Literacy Classroom Environment on Children’s Acquisition of Literacy Skills

“…Consequently, some children may quickly grasp the alphabet and excel in reading and writing due to their high aptitude for such skills. However, the process is not solely dependent on innate abilities; a rich environment, adequate materials, and varied teaching practices also influence phonetic skills acquisition [3,6,24,25]. Teachers contribute to fostering literacy by exposing children to alphabetic coding and helping them identify phonic patterns in words [26].…”

“…The issues of how children acquire literacy skills, the importance of the literacy classroom environment, and teachers' practices are already topics covered in a large body of literature [3,[5][6][7][8]. A study by Hofslundsengen et al [9] noted that the physical environment of literacy classrooms and its components in Scandinavia can affect children's acquisition of literacy skills.…”

“…For example, the reading and writing skills of children in Finland are higher than in other Scandinavian countries, and this may be due to the availability of books in the physical environment of early childhood classrooms, which has a positive impact on the acquisition and development of these skills in children. In addition, the study of Kılınçcı and Bayraktar [6] stressed the necessity of providing a book center in all early childhood classrooms in Turkey because of its positive role in children's knowledge of the letters of the alphabet and acquiring the skill of writing names. However, in the context of Saudi Arabia, early childhood education is still evolving in several aspects, such as curricula, programs, teacher preparation, literacy classroom environments, learning materials, and teaching practices [10,11].…”