Uncovering the Real Issues Behind Children’s Literacy Levels
By: Molly Jones
Up over the hill lies a quiet house. Inside of that quiet, cozy house a kettle is whistling, a fire is crackling. A trail of animal cracker bits leads to an apple juice stain in the off-white accent rug. A pair of perfectly manicured feet rush by the trail, crushing a crumb further into the rug as they go. A woman hurriedly places black pumps on her feet, looking back at the rug with a look of strain and agitation. She calls goodbye to her husband and hurries out the door, looking back once to swiftly wave to the small figure who had emerged from behind her husband’s feet. Back inside the cozy house, the husband places the child in the crib. The curious baby reaches up to grab his father’s calloused finger, but the father turns to leave the dimly lit room. He plods across the room, his mind running wild with thoughts of the work that he needed to finish. His thoughts were abruptly intruded upon by the feeling of a sharp pain in his left toe. He glanced down irritably to see an unopened bundle of children’s literature books lying on the floor in front of him. He cursed his mother for sending the package in the first place, kicked the books under the bed, and stalked out of the nursery.
He cursed his mother for sending the package in the first place, kicked the books under the bed, and stalked out of the nursery.
Is At-Home Literacy Effective?
In many households, it is common practice for parents to read to their children before bed. Often times, many parents will read to their unborn children in the womb. While these practices might seem useless and unnecessary to some, it has been proven that when parents read to their children, they are benefitted tremendously. According to a study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics,
“Children who were read to at least three times a week by a family member were almost twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading than children who were read to less than 3 times a week…in short, learning begins at birth, and you [parents] are your child’s first and most important teacher.” (West, 2000).
In short, learning begins at birth, and you are your child’s first and most important teacher…
The neglect of reading to children can have detrimental affects on their developmental growth as learners and individuals. According to a leading article, Reading Aloud to Children: The Evidence,
“Reading aloud to children or shared book-reading has been linked to young children’s emergent literacy ability…during shared book reading, children learn to recognize letters, understand that print represents the spoken word, and learn how to hold a book, turn the page, and start at the beginning.” (Duursma, 2008).
It is imperative for a child to be introduced to language at the start of infancy and when that is neglected, children are not given the proper skills and knowledge to excel. That then provokes the question, is it ever too early to start reading to children? A study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics stated,
“Start [reading to children] early. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends daily reading to children beginning by six months of age. Children thrive on routine so, if possible, create a daily reading ritual. Many parents read to their children at bedtime, but any time of the day that’s convenient will do.” (West, 2000).
It is important to note that when a parent sits down and reads to their child, they are not merely reading them a story. They are modeling what it looks like, feels like, and sounds like to be a good reader. By reading to their children, parents demonstrate their passion for reading that is more likely to be passed down to their young.
In addition, if a lack of parental involvement takes place in a child’s life, they are less likely to perform well in school because they are not getting the academic or emotional support needed to thrive. A study performed by Nanyang Technological University stated,
“Active parental involvement was the strongest component of the [Home Literacy Environment], with parent–child engagement in reading and writing emerging as the best predictor of both the child’s emerging reading skills and reading interest.” (Winston, 2014).
Children’s emerging reading skills and reading interest are large factors in how much at home literacy and verbal attention children receive. Why are reading and speaking to children imperative to their understanding of verbalization and literacy? When spoken to, phonological awareness is instilled. According to a study done by Reach Out and Read National Center,
“Many parents naturally promote awareness of sound patterns by emphasizing rhyming words and patterns when reading to a child.” (Duursma, 2008).
What happens, however, when children are not read to? They do not make those phonological connections that allow for them to develop their thoughts. When a child is able to make phonological text connections, they will be better able to string letters together to form words to make their own sentences.
What Does Dialogue Have to Do With Reading?
The types of conversations parents hold with their children when reading are almost equally important to reading itself. The interactions had and the discussions held promote reading comprehension and textual understanding. That being said, it is not sufficient enough for a parent to read to their child and close the book without checking for their understanding. When given the opportunity, many children love to talk about books and provide their own opinions on the text. If this kind of literacy interaction is not provided, children will suffer. According to an article published in the American Federation of Teachers,
“86 percent to 98 percent of the words recognized in each child’s vocabulary consisted of words also recorded in their parents’ vocabularies…when we listened to the children, we seemed to hear their parents speaking…” (Hart, 2003).
Imagine how difficult it would be for a child to construct a sentence when they are not encouraged to listen to dialogue or participate in it. One of the best ways for people to learn is by mimicking others. When a child has a clear model to follow, a comprehension of phonology and vocabulary will follow. Reading is just the first step to bettering a child’s literacy world. Reading ignites the fire, but the dialogue that develops from reading keeps the fire alive and thriving.
So…What’s the Problem?
The problem is that a large amount of children are not on the receiving end of this effective at-home literacy support. While the reasons for this vary, the lasting effects on the children are similar in comparison. When children are not read to and are not encouraged to think as readers, writers, and intellectuals, their intellectual and emotional development suffer greatly. Children who are not read to at a young age will have trouble finding a passion for reading; they will struggle to understand the importance of reading. As if that is not enough, they will also struggle to construct their own thoughts and voice what they are thinking. The lack of reading and dialogue in a home barricades the ability to read and hinders the possibility for phonological awareness and dialogue.
Who is Responsible?
What can teachers do to promote a positive reading environment for their students in the classroom and what can they do for children who are not receiving this attention at home? According Linda Campbell, a Professor of Graduate Education at Antioch University Seattle,
“Studies indicate that when students get off to a poor start in reading, they rarely catch up. Struggling readers encounter negative consequences: grade retention, assignment to special education classrooms, or participation in long-term remedial services.” (Campbell, 2012).
It is a difficult task for teachers to face when they are presented with a diverse group of students. In just one classroom, readers can range from illiterate to excelling readers. Most would think that the struggling students need additional, consistent guidance. While, yes, this is correct, there is a balance needed in order to produce accurate results. Teachers need to ensure that they are promoting a fulfilling reading environment for their students. It is imperative that the students develop a love for books that instills a passion in their hearts. Students should be encouraged to find a “just right” reading book that they understand and enjoy. When students want to read because they enjoy it, their learning will be all the more enriching. It is often difficult to teach students to want to read when the material presented makes them feel uninterested in the book or subject. Students can be encouraged to read at school, but if the home support is not there than students will still fall behind. When the home-life does not encourage reading for fun, the inconsistency will lead children away from literacy. Teachers need to work with parents to ensure that they are providing a positive, encouraging environment for their children’s growth as readers, talkers, and thinkers.
Not all parents realize the importance of their role in supporting their children’s literacy. Similarly, not all families have the resources or means to support their children. It is imperative for teachers to do everything in their power to offer these families appropriate support. This will benefit teachers, parents, and students alike in the long run due to the positive effects that increased parental involvement can have on child literacy outcomes. An article published in National Literacy Trust states,
“The Family Reading Campaign is a partnership campaign working to ensure that the importance of encouraging reading in the home is integrated into the planning and activity of all the key organizations concerned with education…and parenting.” (Clark, 2007).
Teachers and parents must have open communication that supports the overall betterment of the child. The administrators of a school should make sure to provide as much support to struggling families as possible. Similarly, teachers should be in constant contact with parents in order to promote at-home literacy. It should be incorporated into the school’s curriculum. Most importantly, both the parent and the teacher need to recognize their equal importance in the role that they have in the student’s learning.
Not As Simple As it Looks
While programs that encourage parental involvement in literacy can be implemented, there will still be a fight to get parents to see the true importance. The most important question that we are faced with is how to get society to promote a world where reading to your child is more important than staying late at the office. In today’s world, the importance of women empowerment and climbing up the career ladder are huge. While these issues are important to the betterment of society, our children are being neglected in the process. Who stays at home with the baby if both parents want to achieve high levels of success in their careers? A world where the decision to read to your children is easily made over working late at the office, would be an ideal world.
There is this idea of a super parent – a parent who can do it all, from balancing a career, to raising smart, talented, kind individuals. This is what causes exhaustion in parents. There needs to be a major focus on the child at hand. If the drive to succeed in a career is unnecessarily negatively affecting a child’s development, then something needs to be changed. Olivia Carter, a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer at University of Melbourne, stated,
“I was determined to spend as much time as possible with my two young children over this period [heavy workload]. So in the end my solution/compromise was that two or three times a week I would drink as much coffee as my body could take and work into the early hours of the morning. I then used the next few days to recover, spending time with the kids and having a few early nights, before doing it all again.” (Carter, 2010).
Where do we draw the line?
Other Factors?
As mentioned previously, it is difficult for families who are struggling economically to focus on anything but survival. While unfortunate, many families cannot help their children flourish in their academics simply because they are struggling to put food on the table day after day. According to an article published in Teaching Young Children,
“By 3 years of age, there is a 30 million word gap between children from the wealthiest and poorest families….by 18 months, children in different socio-economic groups display dramatic differences in their vocabularies. By 2 years, the disparity in vocabulary development has grown significantly.” (Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder 2013).
This gap does not make it easy for teachers to meet the needs of all of their students. If anything, it demonstrates the tremendous importance of at-home literacy support. The predicament is that in some instances, at-home literacy support is impossible to find. This is detrimental to children due to the fact that preschool age literacy learning largely impacts future schooling.
“Eliminating this inequality will require early interventions that directly address the problem. Preschool teachers can build on what children already know and respond to their interests to introduce and reinforce new words.” (Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder 2013).
In order to rectify these issues, interventions need to take place as soon as possible. Preschool teachers need to make up for the lack of prior knowledge and do it in a way that encourages reading and talking. According to an article published in Psychology Today,
“The two factors that most explain the income-related gaps in school readiness are parenting styles and home learning environments. This is actually good news because it means that if we can better equip parents with the knowledge and tools to succeed as their children’s first teachers — and mobilize them to act on that knowledge and use those tools — we could see a significant decline in both the vocabulary and school readiness gap.” (Bergland, 2014).
What Does This Look Like?
These strategies can be implemented in the classroom in addition to being encouraged at home. Parents and teachers can work together to integrate better literacy practices into children.
Don’t Give Up
While it is a difficult balance working with struggling parents — due to a vast majority of reasons — it is possible to overcome these struggles. Teachers and parents need to be in constant contact and work together for the better good of the children at hand. It is necessary for teachers to promote the importance of reading to children and parents so that their love for literacy may carry over into all that they do. It is a difficult balance, but is achievable through determination, consistency, and passion.
Genre Pieces
Representations of the severity of a lack of at-home literacy support
Resources
West, J. (2001). The Secret to Your Child’s Academic Success. (P.1).
E Duursma, E. (2008). Reading aloud to children: The evidence. Journal of Archives of Disease in Childhood, 93(7), 554–557. Retrieved from http://www.reachoutandread.org/FileRepository/ReadingAloudtoChildren_ADC_July 2008.pdf
Lay See Yeo, Winston W. Ong, Charis M. Ng (2014). Early Education and Development Journal. The Home Literacy Environment and Preschool Children’s Reading Skills and Interest. Vol. 25, Iss. 6, 2014
Colker, L., & Fernald, Marchman, & Weisleder. (n.d.). The Word Gap: The Early Years Make the Difference. Teaching Young Children, 7(3), 26–28. Retrieved from http://www.naeyc.org/tyc/files/tyc/The Word Gap.pdf
Hart, B., & Risley, T. (2003). The Early Catastrophe. American Federation of Teachers, 1, 1–6. Retrieved from http://www.aft.org//sites/default/files/periodicals/TheEarlyCatastrophe.pdf
Bergland, C. (2014). Tackling the “Vocabulary Gap” Between Rich and Poor Children. (P. 1).
Campbell, L., & Kelly, C. (2012). Helping Struggling Readers. John Hopkins School of Education, P. 1-P. 1. Retrieved from http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/literacy/articles/helping-struggling-readers/
Chang, Y. (2014). Assessing students’ information literacy skills. Journal of Information Literacy, 6(2).
Clark, C. (2007). Why it is important to involve parents in their children’s literacy development. National Literacy Trust Journal, 1–3. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED496346.pdf
Emergent Literacy: Increasing the Language Skills of Children from Low Income Backgrounds (Part 3). (2014).
