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Thesis (MSL and HT (Interdisciplinary Health Sciences. Speech-Language and Hearing Therapy))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The study investigated the effect of two shared reading programmes on the print awareness of 102 Afrikaans-speaking Grade R learners with language delays. The first shared reading programme focussed on print awareness while the second shared reading programme focussed on content and observable entities. Participants’ print awareness was measured subjectively and objectively, before and after intervention programmes. Results indicated that (i) both methods of shared reading affected and improved the print awareness of the participants; (ii) the participants’ print awareness did not improve optimally in order to acquire reading skills in Grade 1, even after taking part in the 10 week shared reading programme with a focus on print awareness; (iii) participants performed better in an evaluation where demonstration of skills and no verbal response was required; and (iv) participants with poor receptive vocabulary skills demonstrated limited carry-over of print awareness to other artefacts of print, such as the packaging of an iron.

O presente estudo trata dos processos cognitivos na construção do sistema de escrita durante a interação entre crianças em processo de alfabetização por meio do uso de aplicativos de comunicação virtual. Seu objetivo é compreender como tal interação pode favorecer o processo de construção da língua escrita. Baseada no Método Clínico, a coleta de dados foi realizada com alunos de uma turma do 2o ano do Ensino Fundamental de uma escola pública do campo, situada na região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, durante nove sessões de uso de dois aplicativos nos tablets da escola: o Google Classroom e o Google Hangouts. Sustentada pela teoria da equilibração de Jean Piaget, parte-se de uma proposição teórica inicial pautada em uma visão de que o uso dos aplicativos potencializará os desequilíbrios cognitivos e, portanto, a construção da língua escrita em função do contexto de comunicação. Adotou- se a generalização analítica como estratégia para análise dos dados. A primeira unidade de análise apresenta um panorama com dados sobre o processo de construção da língua escrita de sete sujeitos e sobre os desequilíbrios ocorridos ao longo das sessões. Na segunda unidade, analisa-se como ocorrem os desequilíbrios durante o uso dos aplicativos e quais são as reações dos sujeitos ante as perturbações. Na última unidade, discutem-se as situações desencadeadoras e as circunstâncias para a emergência dos desequilíbrios. Ao final do cruzamento das análises, a proposição teórica é revisada, aprofundando o papel dos desequilíbrios e as condições emergentes para o processo de construção da língua escrita. Conclui-se que as situações de comunicação virtual, seja para uma audiência ou para um interlocutor, potencializam a ocorrência de desequilíbrios, favorecendo o surgimento da necessidade cognitiva e/ou afetiva de compreensão da língua escrita, embora os aplicativos em questão, por si só, não ofereçam as resistências ou os feedbacks necessários ao processo. Os resultados encontrados apontam caminhos para a construção de aplicativos voltados à alfabetização. / The present work is a study of the interaction between children in the early literacy process by using virtual communication apps. It researches the cognitive processes involved in the construction of written language that emerges from this interaction. It aims to understand how such interaction can help the development of writing. Based on the Clinical Method, the data collection was carried out with primary education students from a 2nd-year class at a rural public school in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. In nine sessions, they used two apps in the school's tablets: Google Classroom and Google Hangouts. Supported by Jean Piaget's theory of equilibration, the study starts with an initial theoretical proposition based on a view that the use of the apps will potentialize the cognitive imbalances due to the communication context and, therefore, the construction of the written language. The study adopted the analytical generalization as the methodological framework. The first unit of analysis presents a panorama of the data regarding the process of construction of the written language of seven subjects and on the imbalances that have occurred throughout the sessions. The second unit analyzes how the imbalances occur during the use of the apps and what are the reactions of the subjects to the disturbances. The last unit discusses the triggering situations and the circumstances of the imbalances emergence. At the end of the analyses triangulation, the theoretical proposition is revised, deepening the understanding of the imbalances role and emerging conditions for the process of construction of written language. The study concludes that situations of virtual communication, whether to an audience or to an interlocutor, create a fertile context for the occurrence of imbalances, favoring the emergence of the cognitive and/or affective necessity to understand how to write. Although, the studied apps, per se, do not create the resistances or feedbacks necessary to the process. The results point towards new paths for the development of literacy apps.

Previous research on family literacy in North America has generally been conducted in English, even if the program targets English for speakers of other languages. However, the differences in English proficiency among parent participants may vary enormously in ways that are not easily predictable. In addition to the differences in parent participants’ English proficiency and their concept and experience of instruction, parents from diverse cultural backgrounds also have differences in parental beliefs, parental roles in supporting educational achievement and communicating with the school. All these differences make the provision of family literacy programs which target minority families as one group a challenging endeavor, both in program design and implementation. This study investigated the potential learning outcomes when a family literacy program with language supports were provided to Chinese immigrant families. An eight-week (two hours per week) literacy program was implemented in three Chinese community centers in Ontario, Canada. The overall objectives of the study were to provide a Chinese family literacy program in the Chinese community using Chinese as the language of instruction, and to evaluate the impact of this culturally related family literacy program in terms of children’s gains in both English and Chinese. This study has shown that a family literacy intervention, adapted for use with Chinese preschoolers and their parents, can have a significant and positive impact on children’s literacy development in both English and Chinese. This study found that children’s expressive vocabulary (both in English and in Chinese) improved as a result of the intervention. Children’s knowledge of the alphabet and their ability to produce letter-sounds improved significantly more if their parents participated in the intervention. Further, it was shown that specific home literacy environments in Chinese and in English are related to children’s literacy development in both languages. In Chinese, the number of Chinese reading materials in the home had the greatest impact on children’s Chinese receptive and expressive vocabularies. In English, the age at which the child was first read to in English had the greatest impact on children’s English expressive vocabularies, their letter-sound production knowledge, and their early reading ability. The study has shown that the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate family literacy support goes a long way in helping diverse families to foster optimal literacy experiences for their young children at home.

Previous research on family literacy in North America has generally been conducted in English, even if the program targets English for speakers of other languages. However, the differences in English proficiency among parent participants may vary enormously in ways that are not easily predictable. In addition to the differences in parent participants’ English proficiency and their concept and experience of instruction, parents from diverse cultural backgrounds also have differences in parental beliefs, parental roles in supporting educational achievement and communicating with the school. All these differences make the provision of family literacy programs which target minority families as one group a challenging endeavor, both in program design and implementation. This study investigated the potential learning outcomes when a family literacy program with language supports were provided to Chinese immigrant families. An eight-week (two hours per week) literacy program was implemented in three Chinese community centers in Ontario, Canada. The overall objectives of the study were to provide a Chinese family literacy program in the Chinese community using Chinese as the language of instruction, and to evaluate the impact of this culturally related family literacy program in terms of children’s gains in both English and Chinese. This study has shown that a family literacy intervention, adapted for use with Chinese preschoolers and their parents, can have a significant and positive impact on children’s literacy development in both English and Chinese. This study found that children’s expressive vocabulary (both in English and in Chinese) improved as a result of the intervention. Children’s knowledge of the alphabet and their ability to produce letter-sounds improved significantly more if their parents participated in the intervention. Further, it was shown that specific home literacy environments in Chinese and in English are related to children’s literacy development in both languages. In Chinese, the number of Chinese reading materials in the home had the greatest impact on children’s Chinese receptive and expressive vocabularies. In English, the age at which the child was first read to in English had the greatest impact on children’s English expressive vocabularies, their letter-sound production knowledge, and their early reading ability. The study has shown that the provision of culturally and linguistically appropriate family literacy support goes a long way in helping diverse families to foster optimal literacy experiences for their young children at home.