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Emergent Literacy Experiences in the Classroom -
A Sample Survey in Mysore City

Sarika Khurana, Ph.D. Candidate
Prema K. S. Rao, Ph.D.

Abstract

Most of the research on reading acquisition in India has been done with school-age children; hardly any literature is available on the development of emergent literacy in bilingual preschoolers. Children in India enter preschools with varying degrees of exposure to English and bring with them diverse literacy experiences. Preschools in India do not have a standard curriculum; they follow a customized curriculum which prepares children to start formal education. Hence, there is a need to evaluate the literacy experiences of preschoolers in the Indian scenario.

The present study reports the findings of two surveys that aimed at evaluating the emergent literacy experiences of Kannada-speaking children studying in preschools with English as the medium of instruction. A questionnaire on emergent literacy experiences in the classroom and a questionnaire on books were developed for the purpose of this survey. 28 teachers from 10 preschools in Mysore city participated in the survey.

Results of the study indicated that 83.32% of teachers reported that children in their school were exposed to literacy rich experiences through activities such as storybook reading, print awareness, letter knowledge and phonological awareness. 77.56% of teachers in the sample reported that preschools provided good quality and child friendly books with appropriate text and illustrations. Demographic data reveals that 62.5% of teachers were qualified with a Bachelor's degree or more, 75% of teachers had undergone teachers' training and 66.67% of teachers had over 5 years of teaching experience.

This indicates that the preschools in the sample have employed well qualified teachers who provide children with a literacy rich environment in the classroom.

Key words

Preschool, Bilingual, Teachers, Oral Language, Print Knowledge, Phonological Awareness

Introduction

Traditional definitions of literacy refer to the mastery of written language forms (reading and writing), whereas "the concept of emergent literacy encompasses the developmental and interactional relationship between spoken and written language forms" (Goldsworthy, 2003). Emergent literacy describes the concepts, skills and knowledge that young children have about reading and writing prior to beginning their formal literacy instruction in elementary school (Whitehurst & Lonigan, 1998). They show behaviours like pretending to read, scribbling, imitating rhymes and listening to stories, much before they enter school, which indicates the emergence of literacy. Young children's emergent literacy development is influenced by the presence of supports for literacy in the home environment (Zucker & Grant, 2007) and the school environment (Ezell & Justice, 2005).

Literacy-rich environments, both at home and at school, are important in promoting literacy and preventing reading difficulties. In literacy-rich home environments, adults provide children with occasions for daily reading, extended discourse, language play, experimentation with literacy materials, book talk (discussion of characters, action and plot) and dramatic play (Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999; International Reading Association & National Association for the Education of Young Children, 1998). In their joint position statement, Learning to Read and Write: Developmentally Appropriate Practices for Young Children, the International Reading Association and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (1998) confirm that the first eight years of a child's life are the most important years for literacy development and that developmentally appropriate practices at home and at school are crucial for ensuring that children become successful readers.

Some children, however, enter elementary school without a strong background in literacy. Studies conducted on native English speakers report that children who are at the risk of developing reading problems are those who begin school with low language skills, less phonemic awareness and letter knowledge, and less familiarity with literacy tasks and underlying purposes (Burns, Griffin, & Snow, 1999). According to Snow, Burns and Griffin (1998), non-English-speaking children need adequate preparation before they are taught to read in English. The ability to speak in English provides a foundation for learning the alphabetic principles, the structure of the language, and the content of the material they are reading. If children cannot speak English they should be taught to read and write in their native language while becoming proficient in English. Formal reading instruction in English can be started after the child is adequately proficient in oral English (Snow, Burns & Griffin, 1998).

Emergent Literacy Scenario in India

In a multilingual country such as India, children are exposed to more than one language in their environment. Majority of people in rural India send their children to schools with the native language as the medium of instruction. Due to the fast-paced development in the big cities, more and more people living in urban India prefer to send their children to schools with English as the medium of instruction. These children enter school without gaining sufficient oral proficiency in the English language. They begin learning 'how to read and write English' along with 'how to understand and speak English'. In other words, oral proficiency in English develops along with literacy acquisition. Although this appears like a challenging task, Indian children have done it for decades. There is hardly any research data available that sheds light on how emergent literacy develops in these children.

The Focus of This Study

The present study is part of a series of surveys that were conducted with the objective of studying the emergent literacy experiences of preschool children who were native speakers of Kannada (a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka, India) studying in schools with English as the medium of instruction. Three surveys were conducted as part of the first author's doctoral research that attempts to study the development of emergent literacy in English language learners. The present report is based on the findings of two surveys, which assessed the emergent literacy experiences of preschool children in the classroom and the quality of books available to them. The third survey titled 'Emergent Literacy Experiences at Home- A Sample Survey in Mysore' (Khurana & Rao, 2008) is available in Language in India www.languageinindia.com. In the absence of standardized questionnaires (in India) for the assessment of emergent literacy experiences, the investigator developed questionnaires for the same.

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