Alan L. Mendelsohn
Beginning Literacy with Language: Young Children Learning at Home and School
Bellevue Hospital Center|New York University|Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics
beginning literacy language young children learning home school edited david k dickinson patton tabors baltimore md paul h brookes publishing co 2001 409 pp 2995 softcover beginning literacy language describes methods results homeschool study language literacy study began 1987 product collaborative effort involving researchers educators harvard graduate school education tufts university clark university education development center newton massachusetts primary interest investigators relationship extended discourse preschool period later language literacy outcomes children lowincome families investigators define extended discourse talk requires participants develop understandings beyond requires use several utterances turns build linguistic structure explanations narratives pretend homeschool study 84 englishspeaking families 3yearold children eligible either head start subsidized child care health care enrolled preschool period families received yearly assessments performed observation interview home school childs exposure language literacy kindergarten 74 children received detailed assessments language early literacy although 50 students received assessments progress language reading comprehension fourth seventh grade focus book outcomes children kindergarten book tightly structured well written introduction overall study design book divided three sections first section provides evidence impact parentchild verbal interaction extended discourse kindergarten outcomes second section provides evidence impact teacherchild verbal interaction extended discourse kindergarten outcomes final section investigators try determine ways home school interact influencing child languagedevelopment outcomes section background provided theories evidence concerning effects home school factors play role child language development statistical methods results explained clear nontechnical prose well readerfriendly tables charts examples specific verbal interactions provided throughout book four portrait children parents teachers examples highlight different styles parenting teaching observed investigators help reader understand meaning data reallife terms end chapter readers given practical suggestions ways results might applied interactions children either parents teachers book presents many important findings one finding quantity language exposure matters quality language exposure also extremely important example reading aloud making inferences eg think caterpillar stomach ache found important predicting kindergarten outcomes describing things eg labeling pictures another finding extended discourse associated improved child developmental outcomes across activity type eg reading meals playtime group activities home school indeed language exposure home preschool found predictive language outcomes kindergarten effects found additive another finding lack adequate literacyrelated activities many preschools example group reading activities made less 3 total preschool time majority classrooms 3 4yearold children finally authors present evidence high quality preschool extent make insufficient language exposure home would interested seeing detail concerning followup beyond kindergarten authors provide evidence importance kindergarten achievement predicting reading comprehension language development fourth seventh grade however provide information whether direct link preschool language literacy activities later outcomes presumably details made available future results homeschool study language literacy represent considerable advancement understanding factors homes schools promote development preschool children providing analyses verbal interactions home school study makes valuable contribution knowledge area beginning literacy language considered required reading professionals interest early child development including educators researchers psychologists health care providers policy makers although book scientific orientation goes way explain studydesign issues statistical analyses informative jargonfree language result believe book also interest parents regardless previous background research