Abstract
Family literacy programs abound today, and many try to be all things to all participating families. Funding has eroded for programs of long length and shorter length programs need a specific focus to aim for a modicum of success. This article provides an overview of the importance of interactive reading for children’s future success in school, providing clear reasons for having it as a program focus. Specific research-based interactive reading behaviors which act as program objectives and a linked interactive reading assessment for accountability purposes are described. Methods of serving and recruiting diverse families are also explored. An example of a program is provided to demonstrate how to design a family literacy program of manageable length that leads to measurable gains in joint reading behaviors.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adams, M. J. (1990). Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge: MIT.
Armbruster, B., Lehr, F., & Osborn, J. (2003). A child becomes a reader: Birth-preschool. Washington DC: National Institute for Literacy.
Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. (1989). First teachers: A family literacy handbook for parents, policy makers, and literacy providers. Washington DC: Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.
Bergin, C. (2001). The parent-child relationship during beginning reading. Journal of Literacy Research, 22(4), 681–706.
Billmeyer, R. (2003). Strategies to engage the mind of the learner. Omaha, NE: Dayspring.
Bowlby, J. (1982). Attachment (2nd ed.). New York: Basic Books.
Brizius, J. A., & Foster, S. A. (1993). Generation to generation: Realizing the promise of family literacy. Ypsilanti, MI: High Scope.
Bus, A. J., van Ijzendoorn, M. H., & Pellegrini, A. D. (1995). Joint book-reading makes for success in learning to read: A meta-analysis on intergenerational transmission of literacy. Review of Educational Research, 65(1), 1–21.
Clay, M. M. (1979). The early detection of reading difficulties: A diagnostic survey (2nd ed.). Auckland, NZ: Heinemann.
Cochran-Smith, M. (1986). Reading to children: A model for understanding texts. In B. B. Shiefflin & P. Gilmore (Eds.), The acquisition of literacy: Ethnographic perspectives (pp. 35–54). Norwood: Ablex.
DeBruin-Parecki, A. (2003). Evaluating adult/child interactive reading skills. In A. DeBruin-Parecki & B. Krol-Sinclair (Eds.), Family literacy: From theory to practice (pp. 282–301). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
DeBruin-Parecki, A. (2007). Let’s read together: Improving literacy outcomes with the adult/child interactive reading inventory. Baltimore: Brookes.
DeBruin-Parecki, A., & Krol-Sinclair, B. (Eds.) (2003). Family literacy: From theory to practice. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
DeBruin-Parecki, A., Paris, S. G., & Seidenberg, J. (1997). Family literacy: Examining practice and issues of effectiveness. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 40(8), 596–605.
De Jong, P. F., & Leseman, P. M. (2001). Lasting effects of home literacy on reading achievement in school. Journal of School Psychology, 39(5), 389–414. doi:10.1016/S0022-4405(01)00080-2.
Edwards, P. A. (2004). Children’s literacy development: Making it happen through school, family and community involvement. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Feldman, S. (2003). The right line of questioning. Teaching PreK-8, 33(4), 8.
Fisher, D., Flood, J., Lapp, D., & Frey, N. (2004). Interactive read-alouds: Is there a common set of implementation practices? Reading Teacher, 58(1), 8–17. doi:10.1598/RT.58.1.1.
Guinagh, B. J., & Jester, R. E. (1972). How parents read to children. Theory into Practice, 11(5), 171–177.
Hansen, J. (2004). “Tell Me a Story”: Developmentally appropriate retelling strategies. Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life and work in communities and classrooms. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
Howe, D., Brandon, M., Hinings, D., & Schofield, G. (1999). Attachment theory, child maltreatment, and family support: A practice and assessment model. London: Macmillan.
Isbell, R., Sobol, J., Lindauer, L., & Lowrance, A. (2004). The effects of storytelling and story reading on the oral language complexity and story comprehension of young children. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52(3), 157–163. doi:10.1023/B:ECEJ.0000048967.94189.a3.
Klesius, J. P., & Griffith, P. L. (1996). Interactive storybook reading for at-risk learners. The Reading Teacher, 49(7), 552–560.
Martin, L. E. (1998). Early book reading: How mothers deviate from printed text for young children. Reading Research Quarterly, 37(2), 137–160.
McCarthey, S. J. (2000). Home-school connections: A review of the literature. Journal of Educational Research, 93(3), 145–153.
McKee, P. A., & Rhett, N. (1995). The even start family literacy program. In L. M. Morrow (Ed.), Family literacy: Connections in schools and communities (pp. 155–166). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.
McGee, L., & Richgels, D. (2007). Literacy’s beginnings: Supporting young readers and writers (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Morrow, L. M. (1983). Home and school correlates of early interest in literature. Journal of Educational Research, 76(4), 221–230.
Morrow, L. M. (1990). Assessing children’s understanding of story through their construction and reconstruction of narrative. In L. M. Morrow & J. K. Smith (Eds.), Assessment for instruction in early literacy (pp. 110–133). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Nash, A., & Hay, D. (2003). Social relations in infancy: Origins and evidence. Human Development, 46(4), 222–232. doi:10.1159/000070371.
Neuman, S. B. (2006). The knowledge gap: Implications for early education. In D. K. Dickinson & S. B. Neuman (Eds.), The handbook of early literacy research (Vol. 2, pp. 29–40). New York: Guilford.
Nickse R (1989) The noises of literacy: An overview of intergenerational and family literacy programs. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 308 415).
Paris, A., & Paris, S. (2003). Assessing narrative comprehension in young children. Reading Research Quarterly, 38(1), 36–76. doi:10.1598/RRQ.38.1.3.
Reese, E., & Cox, A. (1999). Quality of adult book reading affects children’s emergent literacy. Developmental Psychology, 35(1), 20–28. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.35.1.20.
Resnick, M. B., Roth, J., Aaron, P. M., Scott, J., Wolking, W. D., Larsen, J. J., et al. (1987). Mothers reading to infants: A new observational tool. The Reading Teacher, 40(9), 888–894.
Richman, W. A., & Columbo, J. (2007). Joint book reading in the second year and vocabulary outcomes. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 21(3), 242–253.
Senechal, M. (1997). The differential effect of storybook reading on preschoolers’ acquisition of expressive and receptive vocabulary. Journal of Child Language, 24(1), 123–138. doi:10.1017/S0305000996003005.
Taylor, D. (1983). Family literacy. Exeter, NH: Heinemann.
Teale, W. H. (1981). Parents reading to their children: What we know and need to know. Language Arts, 58, 902–912.
Trevarthen, C., & Aitken, K. J. (2001). Infant intersubjectivity: Research, theory and clinical applications. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 42(1), 3–48. doi:10.1017/S0021963001006552.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Whitehurst, G. J., Falco, F. L., Lonigan, C. J., Fischer, J. E., DeBaryshe, B. D., Valdez-Menchaca, M. C., et al. (1988). Accelerating language development through picture book reading. Developmental Psychology, 24(4), 552–559. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.24.4.552.
Wolfe, P., & Nevills, P. (2004). Building the reading brain: Pre-k-3. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
DeBruin-Parecki, A. Establishing a Family Literacy Program with a Focus on Interactive Reading: The Role of Research and Accountability. Early Childhood Educ J 36, 385–392 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-008-0299-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-008-0299-3