title: Accelerating preschoolers' early literacy development through classroom-based teacher-child storybook reading and explicit print referencing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the impact of teacher use of a print referencing style during classroom-based storybook reading sessions conducted over an academic year. Impacts on preschoolers' early literacy development were examined, focusing specifically on the domain of print knowledge.
  
  
  METHODS
  This randomized, controlled trial examined the effects of a print referencing style on 106 preschool children attending 23 classrooms serving disadvantaged preschoolers. Following random assignment, teachers in 14 classrooms used a print referencing style during 120 large-group storybook reading sessions during a 30-week period. Teachers in 9 comparison classrooms read at the same frequency and with the same storybooks but used their normal style of reading.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children whose teachers used a print referencing style showed larger gains on 3 standardized measures of print knowledge: print concept knowledge, alphabet knowledge, and name writing, with medium-sized effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The convergence of the present findings with those of previous efficacy studies indicates that print referencing intervention can be used confidently as an approach for facilitating print knowledge in preschool-age children. Speech-language pathologists can serve an important role in supporting preschool educators as they use this evidence-based technique with pupils in their classrooms.
authors.affiliation: College of Education and Human Ecology, The Ohio State University, 231 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210, USA. justice.57@osu.edu
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Justice
authors.forename: Joan N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kaderavek
authors.forename: Xitao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sofka
authors.forename: Aileen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hunt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003210:Concept Formation; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007807:Language Tests; D007858:Learning; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011932:Reading; D012574:Schools; D012660:Semantics; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014825:Vocabulary; D014956:Writing