Accelerating preschoolers' early literacy development through classroom-based teacher-child storybook reading and explicit print referencing.
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.
Justice
Laura M
LM
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
Kaderavek
Joan N
JN
Fan
Xitao
X
Sofka
Amy
A
Hunt
Aileen
A
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