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An Observational Study of Print Literacy in Canadian Preschool Classrooms

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of print literacy in preschool classrooms. There were seven preschool teachers working in central Canada who were observed over three sessions. The process of analytic induction was used to formulate categories based on interviews, classroom observations and documents. The following categories were identified from the data: book engagement and availability, writing engagement, and print displays and materials. There were some consistencies across centres in the availability of print materials; however, variation often existed in the types of interactions with print. For example, in some preschool classrooms, teachers had a more structured approach toward writing development while in others, they did not. Such differences in practice may be attributed to different beliefs and knowledge of early literacy development. The results of this study offer insight on the role of print literacy in preschool classrooms.

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Acknowledgement

My thanks to the preschool teachers for their participation in this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada

    Jacqueline Lynch

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  1. Jacqueline Lynch
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Correspondence to Jacqueline Lynch.

Appendix

Appendix

Interview Questions (Lynch 2009)

Part I

  1. 1.

    How long have you worked in ECE?

    What levels do you teach/work with?

    What is your educational background in ECE?

  1. 2.

    Please describe a typical day at the preschool.

  2. 3.

    Has your educational (academic program) prepared you for your work as a preschool teacher? If so, how (practice)?

  3. 4.

    What would you like to know more about when working in/teaching preschool (supporting literacy)?

  4. 5.

    How important is print literacy (reading/writing development) in preschool?

  5. 6.

    Are there any changes in an ECE preparation program you would like to see (in literacy)?

Part II (Ure and Raban 2001)

  1. 1.

    What concerns do you have about children’s early reading and writing?

  2. 2.

    Are there any children in your group(s) that are reading and writing? How do you know this?

  3. 3.

    What (if any) role do you consider you play in encouraging preschool children to read and to write?

  4. 4.

    What role (if any) do you consider parents play in encouraging the preschool age children to read and to write?

  5. 5.

    What curriculum experiences (if any) do you currently offer to foster reading and writing development?

  6. 6.

    At what age should children be encouraged to read and write?

  7. 7.

    What resources (if any) are currently available for children in your group(s) to experiment and learn about (a) reading, (b) writing?

  8. 8.

    When are these resources (if ever) used by the children: (a) reading materials, (b) writing materials?

  9. 9.

    How do you think young children learn to read and write?

  10. 10.

    Is there anything you would like to know more about young children and how they learn to read and write?

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Lynch, J. An Observational Study of Print Literacy in Canadian Preschool Classrooms. Early Childhood Educ J 38, 329–338 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-010-0414-0

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