Do Prekindergarten Teachers Design Their Classrooms to Enhance Early Literacy?

• Main Author: LoRusso, Joann
• Format: Others
• Published: ScholarWorks@UNO 2010
• Subjects: early literacy; classroom design; prekindergarten teacher training; teacher training
• Online Access: http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1239; http://scholarworks.uno.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2222&context=td

Young children develop language and early literacy interactions that are the building blocks for future skilled reading. This study was designed to evaluate the early childhood classroom to determine teachers‟ knowledge of early literacy. Based on the Literacy Environment Checklist (LEC) of the Early Literacy and Language Classroom Observation (ELLCO) tool, the classrooms scored 100% proficiency in the Book Area and Book Selection categories. The results indicate the prekindergarten teachers knew how to design their classrooms to enhance early literacy. The classrooms scored 86% proficiency in the Writing Materials category, 73% proficiency in the Writing around the Room category, and 58% proficiency in the Book Use category. These results indicate that the teachers did not utilize early literacy materials or did not have necessary early literacy materials in the classrooms. Many of the teachers had minimal early literacy training. Without specific early literacy training, teachers did not design their classrooms in ways that would enhance early literacy.