Date Approved

5-5-2008

Embargo Period

3-20-2016

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. in Special Education

Department

Interdisciplinary and Inclusive Education

College

College of Education

Advisor

Xin, Joy

Subject(s)

Children with disabilities--Education (Preschool); Education, Preschool--Parent participation

Disciplines

Special Education and Teaching

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between home literacy activities provided by parents and their children's emergent literacy skills. A total of 11 parents and their preschool children with disabilities participated in the study. A survey was provided to obtain parents' strategies used during parent-child joint reading activities in the home. The Emergent Literacy Skills Assessment was administered to participating children to evaluate their emergent literacy skills in six areas including identifying primary shapes and colors, letter identification, reciting the alphabet, identifying the parts of a book and identifying their own name in print. The surveyed parents reported they often read to their child, identify signs and logos, sing songs and nursery rhymes and point to and read the words aloud but are less likely to encourage their children to write words, recall story details and point to words while reading. Results suggest that watching Sesame Street, reciting the alphabet, pointing to the words while reading aloud and singing nursery rhymes positively affect a child's emergent literacy skills. Their influence on preschoolers' emergent literacy skills indicates that parents need training or learning strategies for home literacy activities to enhance their children's emergent literacy skills.

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