Relation Between Language Experiences in Preschool Classrooms and Children’s Kindergarten and Fourth-Grade Language and Reading Abilities

Abstract

Indirect effects of preschool classroom indexes of teacher talk were tested on fourth-grade outcomes for 57 students from low-income families in a longitudinal study of classroom and home influences on reading. Detailed observations and audiotaped teacher and child language data were coded to measure content and quantity of verbal interactions in preschool classrooms. Preschool teachers' use of sophisticated vocabulary during free play predicted fourth-grade reading comprehension and word recognition (mean age=9; 7), with effects mediated by kindergarten child language measures (mean age=5; 6). In large group preschool settings, teachers' attention-getting utterances were directly related to later comprehension. Preschool teachers' correcting utterances and analytic talk about books, and early support in the home for literacy predicted fourth-grade vocabulary, as mediated by kindergarten receptive vocabulary.

The second-language vocabulary trajectories of Turkish immigrant children in Norway from ages five to ten: the role of preschool talk exposure, maternal education, and co-ethnic concentration in the neighborhood

“…While some have found that the impact of childcare (Colwell, Pettit, Meece, Bates & Dodge, 2001) and preschool interventions (Henning, McIntosh, Arnott & Dodd, 2010) may fade away over time, others have documented the preschool effects that are evident many years later (Dickinson & Porche, 2011 ;Snow et al, 2007 ;Vandell et al, 2010). Snow et al (2007) conducted a follow-up study on some of the children that participated in the Harvard Home-School study.…”

“…Taken together, these studies suggest that young children who experience rich caregiver talk (in both amount and diversity) are likely to develop stronger language capacities themselves. Extended discourse during book-reading and play, in particular, seems to encompass and encourage the development of a rich and complex language (Dickinson & Porche, 2011 ;Zucker, Justice, Piasta & Kaderavek, 2010). Furthermore, children who are in the early stages of acquiring vocabulary may learn new labels by overhearing third-party conversations if they strategically orient to and monitor the conversation (Martínez-Sussmann, Akhtar, Diesendruck & Markson, 2011).…”

“…2 (Connor, Morrison & Slominski, 2006 ;Dickinson & Porche, 2011 ;Vandell, Belsky, Burchinal, Steinberg & Vandergrift (NICHD ECCRN), 2010). Studies that address the role of talk exposure in early childhood have predominantly investigated the L1 development.…”

Assessing Language for Literacy: A Microanalysis of Children’s Vocabulary, Syntax and Narrative Grammar

“…Descriptive information from this research indicates that a child's exposure to a full and varied vocabulary as early as age four is a powerful predictor of later literacy growth. Further, children with stronger language skills were more likely to engage in interesting conversations with their preschool teachers, and these conversations contributed favourably to children's ongoing literacy development (Dickinson & Porche, 2011).…”

Writing Skills of Hearing-Impaired Students Who Benefit from Support Services at Public Schools in Turkey

“…Preschool education has an essential role for children, in terms of establishing a relationship between their written and oral language, vocal awareness, vocabulary, syntax and semantic skills. With early instrumentation, qualified preschool experiences affect school achievement by ensuring the improvement of verbal language skills and literacy skills (Dickinson & Porche, 2011). In the current study, it was observed that the participants started preschool education at the age of 3-4 and received preschool education of 2-3 years accordingly.…”