The following material is designed better to prepare primary teachers for the task which lies ahead, that of teaching children to read. This material may serve as a guide for teachers who have taught without giving the children adequate help in their reading readiness program, but who wish now to make plans for increasing experiences in this program. Many available materials which have been used by the writer and others, believed to be helpful in carrying on a readiness program have been listed. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Sciences." / Advisor: Marian W. Black, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 40-42).

The purpose of this study is to describe the relationship of developing print awareness in eight kindergarten and first grade children to their development in beginning reading of texts. The following questions are analyzed: (1) What is the relationship of awareness of environmental print to beginning text reading? (2) What is the relationship of book handling knowledge to beginning reading? (3) What is the relationship of metalinguistic awareness to beginning reading? (4) Do these relationships change over time? This descriptive, longitudinal study over one year presents several types of data collected and analyzed with the following instruments: audio taped recordings using the script "Signs of the Environment"; Sand, A Diagnostic Survey: Concepts About Print; informal teacher interviews; parent surveys; tape recordings of the children's reading analyzed with miscue techniques; and classroom observation. The data indicate that the children in this study are aware of environmental print in context. When the print becomes decontextualized, differences are seen between middle- and working-class children. While environmental print awareness was used to select high and low groups, the groups did not remain constant when observed in relationship to reading connected discourse. Children whose parents reported early book experiences demonstrate the greatest knowledge about using books and about the reading of connected discourse. Metalinguistic awareness does not appear to be closely related to success in beginning reading. In their transitions into literacy, children first use personal experience and context to gain meaning from print in the environment and in books. Knowing that print makes sense, children use contextual supports to read print in the environment and apply semantically-oriented transitional reading responses to the reading of connected discourse. As they read from books, their focus narrows from using pictures, knowledge of plot, and past reading experience to focus on print. As children discover that their transitional reading responses do not work on connected discourse, they begin to integrate reading strategies to text. Whole language classrooms, like the one in this study, are important to beginning readers, particularly to those who need additional support for making the transitions into literacy, because it highlights all beginning reading of functional print.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

No description available.

No description available.

There is no abstract available for this dissertation.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Auburn University, 2005. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (ℓ. 54-62)

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1971. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Reading Specialist). Includes bibliographical references (p. 20-41).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Liberty University School of Education, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 1999. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-126). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users. Address: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/uoregon/fullcit?p9947974.