Preschool teachers' beliefs about children's print literacy development

Preschool teachers' beliefs about children's print literacy development Article

Lynch, J. (2009). Preschool teachers' beliefs about children's print literacy development . Early Years, 29(2), 191-203. 10.1080/09575140802628743

Beliefs have often been considered important because of their relation to practice. Little is known about the literacy beliefs of preschool teachers, particularly their print literacy beliefs, even though young children's experiences with print have implications for formal schooling. Therefore, this study explored the print literacy beliefs of preschool teachers in a large multicultural area of central Canada. Interviews were conducted with eight preschool teachers based on a previous study in Australia. There were five themes that emerged from this research: uncertainty and variation in beliefs about how and when children learn to read and to write; isolation from other preschools and limited access to professional literacy knowledge; the importance of parent involvement in children's literacy development and the need to inform; increased literacy knowledge required; and variation in practices for fostering print literacy development. This study has important implications for preschool teaching as well as for educators of preschool teachers. © 2009, TACTYC.