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Evaluating the components of an emergent literacy intervention for preschool children at risk for reading
Christopher J Lonigan1, David J Purpura, Shauna B Wilson
1Department of Psychology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA. lonigan@psy.fsu.edu
Insights
Early literacy interventions for preschoolers show benefits but combining them doesn't improve outcomes across all skills. Compact code-focused interventions are effective for children needing both phonological awareness and letter knowledge support.
Area of Science:
- Early Childhood Education
- Developmental Psychology
- Literacy Research
Background:
- Many preschoolers lack essential emergent literacy skills, placing them at risk for reading difficulties.
- While interventions are effective, optimal components and combinations for maximizing gains remain unclear.
- Targeting foundational literacy skills is crucial for preventing later reading challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effectiveness of meaning-focused and code-focused early literacy interventions for at-risk preschoolers.
- To determine if combining intervention components leads to greater improvements across literacy domains.
- To assess the impact of intervention duration on outcomes for combined code-focused skills.
Main Methods:
- 324 low-income preschoolers were randomized into groups receiving meaning-focused (dialogic reading, shared reading) and/or code-focused (phonological awareness, letter knowledge) interventions or a control.
- Interventions were delivered in various combinations, including combined phonological awareness and letter knowledge.
- Outcomes were measured using assessments of emergent literacy skills relevant to each intervention domain.
Main Results:
- Interventions demonstrated statistically significant positive effects solely within their specific skill domains.
- Combining meaning-focused and code-focused interventions did not yield enhanced outcomes across both domains.
- A compact, combined phonological awareness and letter knowledge intervention was as effective as longer, single-skill interventions.
Conclusions:
- Early literacy interventions are effective for specific skill development but combining them does not broadly enhance outcomes.
- Children at risk for reading difficulties require targeted instruction across all identified areas of weakness.
- Efficient, compact code-focused interventions can effectively address deficits in both phonological awareness and letter knowledge.
Abstract:
Many preschool children are at risk for reading problems because of inadequate emergent literacy skills. Evidence supports the effectiveness of interventions to promote these skills, but questions remain about which intervention components work and whether combining intervention components will result in larger gains. In this study, 324 preschoolers (mean age=54.32 months, SD=5.88) from low-income backgrounds (46% girls and 54% boys; 82% African American, 14% White, and 4% other) were randomized to combinations of meaning-focused (dialogic reading or shared reading) and code-focused (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, or both) interventions or a control group. Interventions had statistically significant positive impacts only on measures of their respective skill domains. Combinations of interventions did not enhance outcomes across domains, indicating instructional needs in all areas of weakness for young children at risk for later reading difficulties. Less time for each intervention in the combined phonological awareness and letter knowledge intervention conditions, however, did not result in reduced effects relative to nearly twice as much time for each intervention when children received either only the phonological awareness intervention or only the letter knowledge intervention. This finding suggests that a relatively compact code-focused intervention can address the needs of children with weaknesses in both domains.
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