| The present thesis examined the early development of print knowledge. Experiment 1 explored the development of children's early understanding of visual and orthographic aspects of print and how this is related to early reading acquisition. Children, ages 48 to 83 months, completed standardized measures of phonological awareness and early reading skills. They also completed experimental tasks that tapped their understanding of what constitutes "readable" print. The parents of participants completed a questionnaire regarding their children's home literacy experiences. The data showed systematic development in children's understanding of print conventions and English orthography. Regression analyses indicated that print knowledge was related to early reading skill, even after accounting for variance due to age and phonological awareness. Furthermore, parents' ratings of the extent of their children's involvement in activities that led to practice in reading and writing most consistently predicted the development of emerging literacy skills, including understanding of the conventions of the English writing system.; Experiments 2 and 3 explored ways in which children's print knowledge may be improved. Experiment 2 illustrated that a word search game, which draws children's attention to the print and requires children to examine the details of print, improves children's understanding of print, whereas the shared reading does not. The acquisition of print knowledge was determined by the amount of print exposure. Specific experience with what constitutes readable print is the key factor that influences what children have learned. Experiment 3 suggests that drawing children's attention to the print alone during shared reading did not facilitate children's learning of print conventions. To help children learn the important aspects of print, further guidance such as providing exemplars of acceptable and unacceptable print is needed. Further, learning print concepts also helps children learn letter names. |
