Preschool teachers' perceptions about read-alouds as a means to support children's early literacy and language development

Abstract

This study examined active Swedish preschool teachers’ thoughts and perceptions in terms of read-alouds as a tool to support children's language and literacy development. The research question was ‘How and for what purpose do preschool teachers say that they organize read-alouds in preschool?’ Three focus group interviews were conducted with five preschool teachers from different preschools in each group. The findings reflect traditions that influence preschool education, and the general picture is that teachers’ personal and practical knowledge informs their daily teaching. The informants try to organize read-alouds but do not always succeed as a result of logistical and practical challenges. Teachers describe external factors, such as large groups and the requirement to teach maths and science, as obstacles in the planning and implementing of read-alouds. Teachers that have received in-service training and professional development say that they have daily read-alouds followed by text talk. The need for professional development is discussed.

Ketahanan Literasi Anak-Anak di Masa Pandemi melalui Aplikasi Let’s Read (Children's Literacy Resilience in a Pandemic Period Through the Let's Read Application)

“…Read aloud secara interaktif dilakukan dengan cara orang tua atau guru membacakan teks untuk anak-anak dan memfasilitasi diskusi teks (Alatalo & Westlund, 2021). Metode ini sangat efektif untuk mendukung pembelajaran literasi anak-anak, terutama untuk dapat membantu mengembangkan pengetahuan dan keterampilan anak-anak untuk menjadi seorang pembaca yang sukses.…”

Preschool Teachers’ Work with Curriculum Content Areas in Relation to Their Professional Competence and Group Size in Preschool: A Mixed-methods Analysis

“…Research indicates uncertainty regarding the nature of the Swedish preschool curriculum goals, which makes it more likely that these may, at the local levels, be interpreted as goals that must be achieved (Vallberg Roth, 2014). Extant research findings indicate insufficient training of Swedish preschool teachers in the area of early literacy, which makes the literacy work in preschool complicated (Alatalo & Westlund, 2019;Alatalo et al, 2017;Lillvist et al, 2014). Nevertheless, another plausible explanation could be that the concept of "teaching" was not clarified during the period in which the present study was conducted.…”

Video Recording as a Method for Swedish Preschool Teachers to Analyze Multilingual Strategies

“…There are some Nordic studies that have used video-taped observations in order to study preschool teachers' interactions (Alatalo & Westlund, 2019;Gjems, 2017;Sigurdardottir, Williams, & Einarsdottir, 111 Published by SCHOLINK INC.…”

“…However, in both studies the analysis of the video recordings was performed solely by the researcher and was not intended for the preschool teacher to make critical reflections. Alatalo and Westlund (2019) have examined preschool teachers' thoughts and perceptions in terms of read-alouds as a tool to support children's language and literacy development. The researcher's video recorded read-aloud activities in large groups of children of the age of three to four years were to be used as a basis for discussion in focus group conversations, so called stimulated recall (Schepens, Aelterman, & Van Keer, 2007).…”