Evaluation of Teachers' Early Literacy Proficiency and In-Class Literacy Practices Based on Child Outputs

Abstract

This study primarily aims to evaluate preschool teachers' early literacy proficiency and in-class literacy practices based on child outputs. The study comprises 29 preschool teachers working in Gaziantep and 235 students continuing their education in these teachers' classes. The 'Teacher Interview Form' was used in the study to collect information regarding teachers' early literacy proficiency and in-class literacy practices, while the 'Early Literacy Test (EROT)' was used to assess children's early literacy skills. All of the teacher interviews and EROT applications were conducted individually in a designated room or classroom at their own school. The data obtained from the study were calculated and analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis H test. The findings revealed that there was no significant difference between the teacher's early literacy proficiency and the children's early literacy subtest scores, that there was a significant difference between the in-class literacy practices and children's receptive and expressive language vocabulary subtest scores, and there was no significant difference between the children's phonological awareness subtest scores and listening comprehension skills.