The Role of Print Salient Features on Preschool Teachers’ Print References

• In Event: Sunday Roundtable Session 7:45 am
  In Roundtable Session: Fostering a Love of Literacy for Early Childhood Settings (Table 15)

Abstract

Referencing print during shared book reading fosters print knowledge with young children. This mixed methods study explored how print salient features (PSF), (e.g., speech bubbles, increased font size, etc.), were utilized by 9 preschool teachers while reading the same 12 books that ranged in their amount and inclusion of specific PSF. The resulting 108 videos were coded for print references and thematic analyses explored teacher talk related to PSF. Descriptive statistics showed that teachers had higher averages of references while reading books with PSF and referenced certain features more than others. Thematic analyses of teachers’ references suggest that PSF offer unique opportunities to connect print and comprehension learning. These findings offer significant implications for practitioner text selection and professional development.

Authors

• Emmaline Ellis, West Chester University of Pennsylvania

• Sabina R. Neugebauer, Temple University

• Maria Aguilar Walls, Temple University