scholarly journals Emerging School Readiness Profiles: Motor Skills Matter for Cognitive- and Non-cognitive First Grade School Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erica Kamphorst ◽  
Marja Cantell ◽  
Gerda Van Der Veer ◽  
Alexander Minnaert ◽  
Suzanne Houwen
Keyword(s):  
School Readiness ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Classroom Behavior ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
School Outcomes ◽  
Sample Mean ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills ◽  
Readiness Skills

A promising approach for studying school readiness involves a person-centered approach, aimed at exploring how functioning in diverse developmental domains conjointly affects children’s school outcomes. Currently, however, a systematic understanding lacks of how motor skills, in conjunction with other school readiness skills, affect a child’s school outcomes. Additionally, little is known about longitudinal associations of school readiness with non-academic (e.g., socioemotional) school outcomes. Therefore, we examined the school readiness skills of a sample of Dutch children (N = 91) with a mean age of 3 years and 4 months (46% girls). We used a multi-informant test battery to assess children’s school readiness in terms of executive functions (EFs), language and emergent literacy, motor skills, and socioemotional behavior. During the spring term of a child’s first grade year, we collected academic and non-academic (i.e., EFs, motor skills, socioemotional- and classroom behavior, and creative thinking) school outcomes. A latent profile analysis revealed four distinct profiles. Children in the “Parent Positive” (29%) profile were rated positively by their parents, and performed variably on motor and language/emergent literacy skills tests. The second profile–“Multiple Strengths” (13%)–consisted of children showing strengths in multiple domains, especially with respect to motor skills. Children from the third profile–“Average Performers” (50%)–did not show any distinct strengths or weaknesses, rather displayed school readiness skill levels close to, or just below the sample mean. Finally, the “Parental Concern” (8%) profile was characterized by high levels of parental concerns, while displaying slightly above average performance on specific motor and language skills. Motor skills clearly distinguished between profiles, next to parent-rated EFs and socioemotional behavior, and to a lesser extent emergent literacy skills. School readiness profiles were found to differ in mean scores on first grade academic achievement, parent- and teacher-rated EFs, motor skills, parent-rated socioemotional functioning, and pre-requisite learning skills. The pattern of mean differences was complex, suggesting that profiles could not be ranked from low to high in terms of school outcomes. Longitudinal studies are needed to disentangle the interaction between emerging school readiness of the child and the surrounding context.

Supporting School Readiness Skills and Home Literacy Environment in Young Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing

2020 ◽  
pp. 199-215
Author(s):  
Loes Wauters ◽  
Jean L. DesJardin ◽  
Evelien Dirks
Keyword(s):  
Early Intervention ◽  
School Readiness ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Home Literacy Environment ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Home Literacy ◽  
Book Reading ◽  
Literacy Environment ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills ◽  
Readiness Skills

School readiness captures the skills, prior to formal schooling, that are necessary for children to achieve later academic and social-emotional success. Language and emergent literacy skills are important components of school readiness and lay the foundation for later reading skills. In this chapter, child (e.g., age of identification and enrollment in early intervention, hearing device use), family (e.g., socioeconomic status, parental beliefs), and home literacy environment (e.g., quantity and quality of shared book reading) factors will be presented as they directly relate to children’s development of school readiness skills. Implications are discussed for parents and professionals in early intervention about how interventions focused on parent–child interaction can contribute to language and emergent literacy skills.

scholarly journals Analyzing Motor Development and Emergent Literacy Skills of Preschool Children

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Fatma Özkür
Keyword(s):  
Preschool Children ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Motor Skills ◽  
Motor Development ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Shoulder Girdle ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Fine Motor ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills ◽  
Medium Level

Children start to gain basic literacy skills during preschool that they will constantly be depended on for their academic activities in primary school. Through learning shoulder girdle strength, fine motor skills, and eye-hand coordination, the foundation of motor skills is developed. Examining the effects of motor skills on emergent literacy skills could provide helpful information on the associations among motor and, reading and writing development. The purpose of this study was to analyze 5 years old children’s motor development and emergent literacy skills. The sample of the study consisted of 160 preschool children from main district of Istanbul. Dumans TMB scale and OYHB scale was used for data collection purposes. Results showed that majority of the preschool children (68%) participated in the study had insufficient level of emergent literacy skills. This group’s motor development score was also significantly lower than instructional group. Pearson correlation analysis showed that there was a positive and medium level correlation between the scores of motor development and emergent literacy in both groups. It has been suggested that preschool children’s motor skills should be taken into account for their emergent literacy skills development.

Effects of a Supplemental Spanish Phonological Awareness Intervention on Latinx Preschoolers' Dual Language Emergent Literacy Skills

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1283-1300
Author(s):  
Xigrid T. Soto ◽  
Andres Crucet-Choi ◽  
Howard Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Phonological Awareness ◽  
Emergent Literacy ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Literacy Instruction ◽  
Dual Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Dual Language Learners ◽  
Probe Design ◽  
Emergent Literacy Skills

Purpose Preschoolers' phonological awareness (PA) and alphabet knowledge (AK) skills are two of the strongest predictors of future reading. Despite evidence that providing at-risk preschoolers with timely emergent literacy interventions can prevent academic difficulties, there is a scarcity of research focusing on Latinx preschoolers who are dual language learners. Despite evidence of benefits of providing Latinxs with Spanish emergent literacy instruction, few studies include preschoolers. This study examined the effects of a supplemental Spanish PA and AK intervention on the dual emergent literacy skills of at-risk Latinx preschoolers. Method A multiple probe design across four units of instruction evaluated the effects of a Spanish supplemental emergent literacy intervention that explicitly facilitated generalizations to English. Four Latinx preschoolers with limited emergent literacy skills in Spanish and English participated in this study. Bilingual researchers delivered scripted lessons targeting PA and AK skills in individual or small groups for 12–17 weeks. Results Children made large gains as each PA skill was introduced into intervention and generalized the PA skills they learned from Spanish to English. They also improved their English initial sound identification skills, a phonemic awareness task, when instruction was delivered in Spanish but with English words. Children made small to moderate gains in their Spanish letter naming and letter–sound correspondence skills and in generalizing this knowledge to English. Conclusion These findings provide preliminary evidence Latinx preschoolers who are dual language learners benefit from emergent literacy instruction that promotes their bilingual and biliterate development.

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