Reading development in five-year-olds : five case studies

Abstract

This study focuses on the development of children's reading skills over a period of five months. Information about literacy practices in the home was obtained through an interview with the parents of the children concerned. The Functions of Print Test (Hagen Weiss, 1988), the Print Awareness Test (Goodman & Altwerger, 1981), and the LARR Test (Ayres, Downing & Schaefer, 1980) were administered to the participating children. Interviews with the kindergarten assistant, the Junior I teachers and the reading teacher were conducted, in order to find out about literacy development and literacy growth. Observation sessions were held with the reading teacher. The findings reinforce the notion that children's literacy skills develop on the child's initiative, together with the influence of the home environment, the parents' literacy practices, social interaction and environmental print.