Poster #84 - TV Viewing and Parent-Initiated Reading Predict Receptive Vocabulary Outcomes in a Preschool Literacy Intervention

• In Event: 3-206 - Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Section - Education, Schooling

Integrative Statement

Purpose. To determine the effectiveness of a preschool literacy intervention on receptive vocabulary gains, reading behaviors at home, and factors that can influence program effectiveness.
Procedure. The preschool literacy intervention was a book club designed to increase access to books in the home as well as promote parent-child reading time and passive parent education on program focus areas of health and social development. Preschoolers at participating schools received a book and their parents received a flyer based on a theme from that book monthly that educated them on age-appropriate, research-based information they could use in discussions with their children while reading the book club book. All preschoolers (n = 585) participated in the book club regardless if their parents consented to data collection. 167 preschoolers completed the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test 4 (PPVT; Dunn & Dunn, 2007) at both the baseline and follow-up. Of the 167 preschoolers, 58.7% of their parents (n = 98) completed surveys at both time points. Parent surveys included questions on reading behaviors at home, amount of children’s books at home, program feedback, and amount they talked about/felt comfortable talking about program focus areas.
Findings. Paired sample t-tests assessed for changes from baseline to follow-up for Child PPVT Standard Scores and Parenting Behaviors. Child PPVT Standard Scores were significantly higher at follow-up [t(166) = 2.21, p = .03]. Parents reported significant changes in number of hours of reading [t(92) =2.25, p = .03], in child initiating reading [t(98)= 3.41, p <.001], and talking about book club focus areas including friendship [t(96) =1.96, p = .05], self-help skills [t(93) =2.10, p = .04], and STEM [t(94)= 3.20, p = .002]. To understand predictors of child change, a residualized regression analysis, controlling for baseline Child PPVT Standard Score, was conducted including at-home TV viewing at baseline, parent discussion of book club topics at follow-up, parent initiation of reading at follow-up, child initiation of reading at follow-up, and total number of hours of reading at follow-up as independent variables. The model accounted for a significant portion of variance in the Child PPVT Residualized Change, R2 = .72, F(5,69) = 29.46, p < .001. Above and beyond Child Baseline PPVT Score, model predictors accounted for an additional 10% of variance in the outcome [Fchange (5,69) = 4.87, p = .001]. Significant predictors were parent-initiated reading [= .27, t = 2.39, p =.02] and hours of TV viewing [= -.22, t = -3.08, p =.003].
Implications. Children exposed to the preschool literacy intervention (book club) increased receptive vocabulary. Although randomized studies are needed, these findings suggest a book club intervention, within the context of quality childcare programming, may help children meet or exceed national standardized receptive vocabulary norms. Further, these findings suggest that TV viewing in the home may interfere with children’s gains in literacy, even as young as age four.

Authors

• Julie Rutledge, Louisiana Tech University
  Presenting Author

• Taren Swindle, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  Non-Presenting Author

• Peyton Percle, Louisiana Tech University
  Non-Presenting Author