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Reading identities are the ways that a child constructs the self as a reader across contexts and time. This study examines the impact of language contexts on the reading identities of multilingual children. Participants were ten prekindergarten children participating in a Chinese-English family literacy programme with a parent or grandparent. Participants read Chinese and English language books across English, Chinese and multilingual contexts. Children's reading identities were examined across language contexts to explore the interplay between language contexts and reading identities. Findings describe convergences and differences in reading identities across contexts for Chinese, English and multilingual language use and Chinese and English texts, and provide insights into the ways that different language contexts for reading affect multilingual children's early reading identities. Multilingual contexts appear to provide key spaces for the development of reading identities, and English and Chinese contexts contribute to unique aspects of children's reading identities.

This study examined whether children's formal and informal home literacy (HLE) and home numeracy (HNE) environments at 3 years old demonstrated domain-specific, and cross-domain effects on children's academic performance at 5 and 9 years old. Participants were 7,110 children (49.4% male; 84.4% Irish), recruited between 2007 and 2008 in Ireland. Structural equation modeling revealed that only the informal HLE and HNE demonstrated both domain-specific and cross-domain positive effects on children's language and numeracy outcomes but not on socioemotional outcomes, at 5 and 9 years old. Effect sizes ranged from small ([beta] = 0.020) to moderate ([beta] = 0.209). These results suggest that even casual cognitively stimulating activities that do not directly focus on active teaching may benefit children's educational outcomes. Findings bear implications for cost-effective interventions with far-reaching, and enduring, effects across multiple child outcomes.

When school buildings closed suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educators relied on families more than ever to mediate their children's learning. This yearlong case study details the narratives of 14 Black and Latinx families as they negotiated literacy practices with their teenage sons during remote schooling. This study finds that families bolstered their sons' literacies through dimensions of "family literacy care," a notion developed by the author to describe the material, emotional, embodied, and digital mentoring exchanged between caregivers and boys around literacy practices at home. Entangled in these narratives are the complex ways that families enacted their roles as caregivers and teachers during the pandemic, and in turn, how boys acquiesced to and resisted their parents' attempts at family literacy care. These findings texture and advance the field of family literacy scholarship to understand better the varied ways boys orient toward (and away from) texts in their family context.

Purpose: This study examines the extent to which the Home Literacy Environment (HLE) as measured by reading habits and resources, library use, and subscriptions or materials, as well as parental reading beliefs predict both language skills (i.e., vocabulary) at kindergarten and students' trajectories of growth from kindergarten (K) to grade 3 (G3). Method: The sample included 259 Spanish-English bilingual children and their parents living in Arizona. We measured HLE and parental reading beliefs with a questionnaire administered to parents during the kindergarten year. Children completed measures of English and bilingual Spanish-English vocabulary in grades K to G3. Results: Findings indicated that library use and reading habits and resources predicted skills at kindergarten, but not growth. Across all language outcomes, library use was the consistent factor associated with skills in kindergarten. Conclusion: Given that HLE was associated with variability in children's vocabulary skills at kindergarten but not with vocabulary growth, this suggests that timely HLE supports are essential. Supports around library use show promise, given their significant associations with vocabulary skills in Spanish-English bilingual children. [This paper was prepared by the Task Force of the Language and Reading Research Consortium (LARRC) consisting of Gloria Yeomans-Maldonado (Convener), Carol Mesa, Ann A. O'Connell, and Laida Restrepo.]

This article discusses an innovative family literacy project that was implemented in a community setting. Male trios consisting of a male significant figure, a struggling reader in elementary school, and a pre-service teacher were created. The goal was (a) to develop the student's motivation to read by using a male reading role model and allowing the student to read what he truly enjoys in a non-school environment and (b) document reading practices as trios. To document the progression of four trios, we used a semi-directed interview, a focus group, and a logbook. The results of this multiple-case research study showed an improvement regarding the student's motivation to read in the context of male trios, different reading practices inside the trios, and a positive evolution in the relationship between the student and participating male relative.

It is hypothesized that variability found in the effects of family literacy programs results from differences in implementation by parents. In this study, the implementation and effects of a Dutch program were examined in a sample of 207 kindergarteners (mean age at pre-test: 64 months). No main intervention effects on children's literacy development were found. The quality of implementation proved to be higher for high-SES and native Dutch (speaking) parents than for low-SES, ethnic-minority parents with other home languages. Parent SES, ethnic-minority status, and home language did not moderate the program effects on child language scores and the program failed to impact targeted parental attributes, namely, the home literacy environment and parent self-efficacy. Finally, children's development proved unrelated to implementation variables. Our results stress the importance of delivery for adequate implementation.

In this study, northern Canadian rural and Indigenous parents provided valuable information about the self-initiated writing that their two- through nine-year-old children do at home. In interview responses, participating parents told stories about the writing materials and spaces they make available to children for writing. They talked about how they support their children's writing: informally--by demonstrating that writing is important; and formally--through direct teaching of letter forms and sound-letter relationships. Parents provided examples of their children's self-initiated writing, which includes types of texts that are not usually valued in mainstream spaces such as school. They explained that the writing is usually for the purposes of expressing feelings and informing family members. Our study adds to the literature on family literacy practices by validating the knowledge and experiences that northern rural and Indigenous children bring to their formal schooling. Recommendations for teachers include initiating conversations with parents about the writing that their children do at home, finding spaces in the classroom schedule for children to present and talk about their self-initiated writing with the class, and providing specific information about how parents can support their children's writing. A "Tips for Parents" sheet is provided.

This collective case study employs both family literacy theory (Taylor, 1983) and funds of knowledge (Moll et al., 1992) to examine the ways that Mexican American parents conceptualize and practice literacy in the home with their emergent bilingual elementary-aged children. "Emergent bilingual" is used to reference students who are gaining English as an additional linguistic repertoire (García, 2009). Drawing from questionnaires and interviews from a suburban Midwestern U.S. community, findings demonstrate how families position and mediate their languages and literacies within their homes and communities. Such findings illuminate how emergent bilingual families create distinct spaces to shape the identity and agency of their emergent bilingual children. Such findings are now incorporated into English Language Learner and bilingual teacher preparation courses so teachers can identify, describe, and understand the multifaceted literacy capacities of their emergent bilingual families.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused increasing economic and physical vulnerability of many Americans. There has also been a surge in poverty, housing insecurity, food insecurity, long-term unemployment, and challenges with health care access and use. This first article in the forum examines how the field of adult education continues the pattern of evolving to meet the needs of its respective community and the nation. For example, family literacy classes are offered to help improve the economic outlook of families and assist parents in supporting their children's academic needs. Workplace classes provide an opportunity for employees to improve basic academic skills and increase work productivity on the job. Additionally, correctional education gives those in institutional settings a chance to earn their high school equivalency diploma so that, upon release, they can reenter society and increase their chances of obtaining a job. This article considers an approach that comprehensively fosters student-centered environments, provides professional development for teachers, promotes adult education, and builds and expands partnerships.

Home literacy experiences and observed parent and child behaviors during shared book reading were investigated in preschool-age children with hearing loss and with typical hearing to examine the relationships between those factors and children's language skills. The methods involved parent-reported home literacy experiences and videotaped parent-child dyads during shared book reading. Children's language skills were tested using the Preschool Language Scale-4. The results indicated significant differences between groups for home literacy experiences and observed parent and child behaviors. Parents of children with hearing loss were found to read more frequently to their children than parents of children with typical hearing, yet scored lower for "literacy strategies" and "teaching techniques" compared to parents of children with typical hearing. Children with hearing loss scored lower in "interactive reading" behaviors compared to children with typical hearing. For children with hearing loss, frequency of book reading and child interactive reading behaviors were strong predictive factors for children's language skills. These results suggest that families of children with hearing loss would benefit from professional support as they read storybooks to their children. Similarly, children with hearing loss should be encouraged to be more interactive during shared book reading.

The purpose of this article is to discuss family literacy practices that can support a collaboration between families and children as well as families and schools in ways that can strengthen this relationship and motivate early childhood learners to engage in literacy. First, family literacy programs, initiatives, and practices are discussed, Next, a framework of family literacy is proposed that gives book access to parents, offers models and guidelines about how to use pedagogies and approaches teachers use in class when reading with children, and invites parents to school settings as partners who can enjoy literacy experiences with their children and enhance their children's literacy experiences in positive ways. Points to consider about this model along with some conclusions are presented. In addition, challenges with literacy-program implementation and its implications are discussed.

Family Literacy is an intergenerational program that brings parents and preschool- or elementary-age children to school together. It can provide a depth in education that allows learning opportunities for children and the adults in their lives. As relationships are built, learning becomes circular between parents, children, and teachers. This article highlights examples of a program for families with preschool-age children, a unit developed within parent education to integrate family literacy components, and the result of an individual parent's work in the parent education classroom.

The significant impact of the home literacy environment (HLE) on the literacy development and educational achievements of typically developing (TD) children has been well documented. The focus of the current research is to gain insights into the HLE of children with autism spectrum disorders owing to their literacy difficulties. We used online questionnaires to collect data on the HLE, literacy development, reading interest, and parent-child relationship from the parents of 120 school-aged Chinese children with autism. The results confirmed that the HLE of autistic children predicts their literacy development not only directly but also indirectly, through reading interest and the parent-child relationship. The mediating effect accounted for more than half of the total effect. The study highlights that children with autism could benefit from stimulating HLE as well as their TD counterparts.

There is little empirical data on the extent of home numeracy practice using technology, though previous research shows that home numeracy activities are linked with children's mathematics abilities. This study describes the process of constructing an inventory of digital home numeracy practice (DHNP-i). Parents (n = 126) of elementary children participated in the study. Psychometric assessments (such as internal consistency of items, composite reliability, convergent validity) were used to validate the scale, which measures the frequency of DHNP, parents' role in common DHNP (e.g., mobile math games/apps), how math apps are selected, math app types, supports provided by math apps, and parental perceptions of math app effectiveness. The results suggest that the DHNP measurement model (consisting of 19 items and five constructs) underlying the scale is a reliable and valid tool to assess home numeracy practice using technology. The newly developed scale will ultimately help researchers explore the impact of DHNP on young children's mathematics development.

Purpose: We aim to identify the most accurate model for predicting adolescent (Grade 9) reading difficulties (RD) in reading fluency and reading comprehension using 17 kindergarten-age variables. Three models (neural networks, linear, and mixture) were compared based on their accuracy in predicting RD. We also examined whether the same or a different set of kindergarten-age factors emerge as the strongest predictors of reading fluency and comprehension difficulties across the models. Method: RD were identified in a Finnish sample (N [approximately equal to] 2,000) based on Grade 9 difficulties in reading fluency and reading comprehension. The predictors assessed in kindergarten included gender, parental factors (e.g., parental RD, education level), cognitive skills (e.g., phonological awareness, RAN), home literacy environment, and task-avoidant behavior. Results: The results suggested that the neural networks model is the most accurate method, as compared to the linear and mixture models or their combination, for the early prediction of adolescent reading fluency and reading comprehension difficulties. The three models elicited rather similar results regarding the predictors, highlighting the importance of RAN, letter knowledge, vocabulary, reading words, number counting, gender, and maternal education. Conclusion: The results suggest that neural networks have strong promise in the field of reading research for the early identification of RD.

This research tested a mediation model, examining whether individual differences in mothers' school readiness beliefs influenced home literacy practices and children's later academic achievement among African American (n = 114) and primarily Mexican origin Latina mothers (n = 164) and their children. Mothers of children ages 3-4 years reported school readiness beliefs and home literacy practices. Later (ages 6-7 years), reading and math achievement scores were measured using the Woodcock-Johnson Revised (WJR) or the Batería Woodcock-Muñoz, as appropriate, depending upon the child's primary language. "Research Findings:" Results showed that African American and Latina mothers differed in their beliefs about school readiness skills, with African American mothers more likely to emphasize general pre-academic knowledge and Latina mothers more likely to emphasize social-focused readiness skills. Academic-focused readiness beliefs predicted mothers' engagement in home literacy practices, social-focused readiness beliefs predicted math achievement, and home literacy practices mediated the association between academic-focused readiness beliefs and math achievement. "Policy or Practice:" Findings suggest that interventions to enhance school readiness should consider ethnic minority parents' expectations and at-home practices, particularly during children's early childhood.

This article traces the actions and perceptions of preservice teachers who cope with cultural heterogeneity. The study used an interpretative qualitative method, which allowed us to examine the portfolios of 12 participants. Findings indicate that authentic experiences exposed the students to the reality of the pupils, enriched their knowledge, fostered intercultural competence, and allowed them to teach according to culturally relevant pedagogy. Findings have implications for the teacher training process, which must include experiences outside the school walls that will help teachers integrate cultural heritage into the classroom, preserve the students' languages of origin, promote multicultural dialogue, and enhance the visibility of the other.

Since a nationwide reform of pre-primary education in 2010, Ethiopia has experienced a massive expansion of pre-primary enrolment that increased tenfold in six years. Our paper aims to assess the distribution of early literacy outcomes between children who attended preschool and those who did not and explore how that distribution has changed throughout the reform and by factors such as gender, location, and parental literacy. We find an overall increase in the achievement gaps associated with pre-primary participation between 2010 and 2016. There are also differential patterns in the learning gaps over the reform, with a particular disadvantage for rural students and a relative advantage for students with parents who are not literate. This study suggests that understanding a fuller picture of learning inequality is critical to designing policy to leave no one behind aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Pasifika Early Literacy Project supports teachers to make space for the languages and cultures of Pacific children and families in early childhood settings in Aotearoa New Zealand. Dual-language books in five Pacific languages and English validate Pacific children's languages, literacies, and identities. We highlight teacher practices following professional learning and development workshops. Teachers are invited to challenge dominant monocultural notions of language and literacy that perpetuate educational inequities. Illustrations of early childhood teachers' innovations with Pacific children (aged 2-6 years) demonstrate how dual-language texts can be connected to families' embodied cultural literacies. Understandings of "literacy" and "reading" were expanded to include children's expressive modalities through oral and visual texts in heritage languages and English. This work highlights the role of teachers to connect, rather than replace, the worldviews, languages, and literacies of families with the pedagogical practices of early childhood settings.

Family literacy programs are potential spaces of empowerment for transnational families, yet often draw from deficit logics that fail to acknowledge the rich language and literacy practices of Latinx communities. We brought together theories of critical literacy and theories of mothering as critical work to document how transnational Latina mothers in an intergenerational storytelling workshop reshaped the space toward their own goals. We explored how mothers in the workshop served as critical literacy pedagogues by writing, reading, and redesigning the workshop space in ways that asserted agency, fostered intergenerational learning, and pushed back against deficit narratives. We offer insights from the workshop experience to suggest ways in which educators, both in family literacy and K-12 settings, can learn from and partner with transnational parents.

Children from Latinx families bring rich and varied literacy practices and cultural models to their classrooms. When teachers are able to recognize these assets, they have opportunities to make their teaching more responsive and engaging. One way to learn about these assets is through relationship-building, assets-framed home visits. In this article, we remind teachers of the exciting breadth of family literacy practices, particularly with regard to Latinx families and children. We provide guidance for home visits that center and honor families, build relationships, and inform teachers. We conclude with suggestions for translating what teachers learn into richer literacy instruction.

Families play a critical role in promoting students' literacy development. Family literacy practices refer to oral, written, and reading strategies that impart cultural traditions and knowledge of the world and that occur in the dominant or native language of a family. It is especially important for educators to understand and build upon such practices when working with multilingual, immigrant, refugee, or asylee students who are the first in their family to attend school in a new host country. Unfortunately, teachers frequently report they are at a loss as to how to engage with the adult guardians of these students on joint efforts to encourage reading in a second language. In this review, effective family literacy programs published in the last several decades reported in the U.S. or internationally are analyzed for how they promote early English literacy skills while honoring a family's native language and culture and simultaneously encouraging strong partnerships between homes, schools, and communities. Culturally sustaining pedagogical approaches reflected within these programs provide ideas for how to intentionally encourage future enhancements of family literacy programming and research.

Family literacy programs can be effective for supporting the literacy learning of both parents and children. Educators and community members can be constructive in establishing family literacy programs in their school and in the community. Having knowledge of successful family literacy programs is important for both initiating and continuing with family literacy engagement. In this article, we describe aspects of successful family literacy programs, including attention to the diversity of families. We begin with an overview of the changing definitions of literacy and common structures of family literacy programs and complete this review with areas for further research in family literacy.

Due to the paucity of research that focuses on the digital and STEAM literacy practices of Black students and youth and their families in home and community spaces, this article acts as a call for awareness to understand the already-existing digital practices that acknowledges and honors their racial, cultural, and social lives. Lewis Ellison addresses four primary questions that K-12 teachers must be aware of concerning Black parents, students and youth in digital and STEM spaces: Why are Black Students'/Youth and Families' Digital Literacy Practices important? What can we learn from Black Parents' Narratives about their Children's Digital and STEAM Literacies? What do Black Students/Youth Wish their Teachers Knew about Them? What Should Digital and STEM Literacy Practices Look Like for Black Students/Youth? These questions are important when thinking about Black students' and youth's digital literacy learning and proficiencies because as the education and political world keeps changing, they need digital literacy skills for every area of their lives. Once we understand the roles we play in centering their lives and practices, then we can advance teacher education, and then we can begin a discussion to normalize Black students and their families' digital and STEAM literacies and practices.

Across research, policy, and practice, the experiences, knowledge, and collective experiences of Families of Color have been routinely erased, disregarded, and ignored, despite their potential for engaging and motivating students, creating inclusive classrooms, and addressing educational inequities. In this metasynthesis, we explicitly focus on what can be learned from Scholars of Color who have strong affinities to research communities and study the language and literacy practices of families. We attend to research findings that are relevant to children and families. We focus on four particularly salient sets of findings related to: 1. Family strengths and resources; 2. In-betweenness, 3. Past, present, future and intergenerational connections; and 4. Advocacy and agency.

Research Findings: The study investigated whether preschool code-related home literacy experiences had direct associations with regular and irregular word reading in the first year of primary school as well as exploring whether there were indirect associations between these experiences and later word reading via children's language skills or inhibitory control. The parents of 274 preschool children completed a home learning questionnaire at time 1 (M[subscript age] = 3:11). At time 2, the children completed phonological awareness, vocabulary, inhibitory control and nonverbal reasoning assessments (M[subscript age] = 4:3) and at time 3 a word reading assessment (M[subscript age] = 5:3). Letter-sound interactions (a code-related home literacy index that included discussions about letter-sound associations) bore significant associations with children's word reading, whereas letter activities (a code-related index that was less focussed on letter-sound links) did not. Path analyses indicated that letter-sound interactions directly predicted regular word reading and predicted regular and irregular word reading indirectly via children's phonological awareness. These findings highlight that different aspects of code-related home literacy experiences are differentially associated with later word reading skills. Practice and Policy: The findings suggest that parents' integration of interactive, age-appropriate discussions that focus on letter-sound associations into children's everyday experiences may support emerging word decoding skills.

Research Findings: This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the relationship between the home environment and the development of English as a second/foreign language for young Asian children. A systematic search of relevant databases generated 22 eligible studies published between 2001 and 2020 (N[subscript total] = 3,953 children; M[subscript age] = 2.7-6 years), of which 12 (N[subscript total] = 2,164 children; M[subscript age] = 2.7-6 years) were subject to meta-analyses. The results indicated that various home factors (e.g., family demographics, home literacy activities, language use, and parents' beliefs and motivations) were positively associated with young Asian children's English language abilities, literacy skills, phonological awareness, and interest in learning English. The roles of particular home environmental factors in children's English development may vary across different aspects of English development. The influences of family structure, home language use, and literacy environment tended to vary across sociocultural contexts and ethnic groups. Moreover, specific child- and home-related characteristics moderated and/or mediated the relationships between several home environmental factors and children's cognitive-linguistic abilities. Practice or Policy: The findings of this study highlight the significance of the home environment in the development of English as a second/foreign language for young children in Asia. These findings have important practical and policy implications regarding the design and implementation of culturally appropriate family-based English interventions in Asian contexts.

Background and aims: eBooks have become a ubiquitous presence in many classrooms today. Yet, empirical evidence on literacy development has not been well produced, especially for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This mixed-method case study aimed to explore how four children with ASD interact with ebooks and printed books with parents at home. Methods: Four children (age 5-7 years) with ASD and their parents read one animated ebook and another printed book over four separate sessions. Parents also explained preselected word meanings to their children. In this mixed-method case study, we examined multiple quantitative and qualitative sources of evidence related to reading with parents at home. Results: Quantitatively, all four children with ASD learned more word meanings from ebook than from the printed book, and three demonstrated a higher engagement with ebook than the printed book reading. Qualitatively, the majority of parents felt their children's engagement was higher with ebook than with printed book. Children with ASD tend to have tactile-related experiences while reading the printed book and auditory-related experiences during the ebook reading. Qualitative data also demonstrated a particular feature reported to be beneficial in previous research could be distracting for some children with ASD. Implications: When parents are trained to explain critical word meanings to their children, animated ebooks can effectively improve the meaning-making skills of children with ASD. Findings also highlight the importance of individualized attention when choosing and using ebooks for children with ASD.

This mixed-methods study was designed to examine how different home literacy environments shape gender differences in Chinese-Canadian first graders' (N = 76) bilingual lexical attainment and literacy engagement. Quantitative analyses indicated that girls outperform boys in both Chinese (L1) and English (L2) vocabulary. Gender differences were not associated with the quantity of language exposure at home in either language but rather with the quality of home language input. Home Language Quality was found to be differentially associated with gender, with boys receiving quality input in both languages at home. Results reveal that parents engaged in more quality home literacy practices with girls than boys. Parental expectations and beliefs in gender differences, particularly girls' superiority in language learning and self-regulation, shaped gendered home literacy engagement.

One current challenge highlighted by the United Nations is to increase the number of adults who achieve literacy and numeracy by 2030. This article focuses on one experience from an underprivileged Mexican school that implements "Family Education, a Successful Educational Action." Following a communicative methodology, we conducted a communicative life story, five semi-structured interviews with agents of the school involved in family education, two observations and a review of internal school reports. The results present a personal story of success that shows the impact that family education has had on the literacy of Maria, a woman who had never attended school before. The love and support of her granddaughter as a student from the same school, the transgenerational literacy interactions reinforced by the learning communities model, and the support of the school's educational staff and volunteers have enabled not only her literacy but also her becoming a leading woman in her community.

The purpose of this article is to share a family literacy activity geared particularly for the K-6 level in which parents share with teachers valuable knowledge about their children's cultural backgrounds. This multicultural bookmaking activity, a family literacy approach, builds critical cultural understandings between parents, teachers, and students. These synchronized interactions lead to meaningful parent-teacher relationships that build teacher efficacy for valuing cultural diversity (Gallavan, 2007), which is necessary for creating culturally responsive classroom environments.

At the final session of the 2022 Literacy Research Association Conference, Catherine Compton-Lilly, Marcus Croom, Mary McVee, and Allison Skerrett presented critical work related to equity, representation, and race in literacy scholarship. Panelists shared concerns and pursued a shared goal. Specifically, as literacy scholars, they recognized that like the empirical research conducted in classrooms and communities, review scholarship--scholarship that aspires to make sense of large bodies of available research--is always subject to systemic biases, privileging, and racism. In this panel session, we intentionally sought to dismantle biases through four review-oriented projects that--each in its own way--attempts to counter the systemic whitewashing that has characterized review scholarship in literacy.

Research Findings: In this study, we examined the short- and long-term effects of Reading Express, a home-visiting intervention in which volunteers encourage low socio-economic status and ethnic minority parents to engage in interactive shared reading with their child. Outcomes of a quasi-experiment involving 176 children in the Netherlands (mean age 72 months; n[subscript experimental] = 95; n[subscript control] = 81) revealed favorable outcomes of Reading Express for children's home literacy environments (i.e., children's book exposure and parents' reported shared reading frequency), which were maintained over time. Reading Express also had a positive short-term effect on story comprehension. However, the positive trend in story comprehension leveled off 20 weeks after program termination and there were neither short-term nor long-term effects on receptive vocabulary. Practice or Policy: Our results show that longer-term changes can be made in children's home literacy environments by means of home visiting programs such as Reading Express, but they also suggest the relevance of better adapting programs to the characteristics and needs of participating families.

Book gifting programs such as Imagination Library aim to foster a love of reading and increase children's exposure to books and academic success. This study is a conceptual replication of previous studies focused on the Imagination Library program. To examine home literacy practices and caregiver perceptions of the Imagination Library, 149 families enrolled in Imagination Library in a central Texas county completed an online survey. Results indicated that the majority of respondents were extremely satisfied with the program and engaged in daily shared book reading. Though tips for sharing books with children are provided for program participants, the majority of respondents indicated not knowing about the tips. Parental education level significantly predicted daily reading, even when controlling for length of enrollment in the Imagination Library program which was not a significant predictor of daily reading. This study extends the literature on book gifting programs and has implications for book gifting program development and for other communities that implement Imagination Library.

This study investigated Chinese parents' experiences of reading English storybooks to their preschool children. While the spread of English as a global language is associated with an increasing emphasis on English education, few studies have examined its impact on the early home literacy practices in non-English speaking countries. With the most English learners in the world, China has an increasing number of parents making an early start for children to learn English. This study followed the tripartite framework of Family Language Policy (FLP) to examine Chinese parents' beliefs, practices and management in early storybook reading activities. In-depth interviews with 20 parents in Guangzhou revealed that parents' English reading practices are language-oriented with utilitarian language ideologies. Parents' reading practices and management were identified with contextual constraints, including non-English speaking environments, parents' inadequate English proficiency and knowledge of selecting English storybooks. Our findings highlight the impact of English globalization on the educational practices in local families with implications for educational practitioners in countries with similar changing sociolinguistic landscapes.

Purpose: Literacy instruction at home and in school, in addition to child speech and language ability, plays an essential role in reading development. The relationship between these factors in children with developmental disabilities during preschool is important to identify and describe in order to develop and test interventions that target instructional supports. This study examines the relationship between parent perceptions of literacy experiences at home and in school and speech, language, and literacy skills in children with developmental disabilities in preschool. Method: Child factors of speech ability, expressive and receptive language and vocabulary comprehension, phonological awareness, and print knowledge in 38 preschool-age children with developmental disabilities between the ages of 48 and 69 months were assessed. Home and school literacy experiences were reported via parent questionnaires. Relationships between child factors and home and school experiences were evaluated. Results: Parents reported frequent shared literacy engagement regardless of speech ability or receptive language skills. In school, parents reported that teachers engaged in activities of decoding and word recognition and used technology and/or augmentative and alternative communication at least weekly for instruction, but rarely for writing. Speech ability was significantly correlated with access to technology for instruction, with children who had greater speech ability provided with greater access to technology. Conclusions: Findings suggest that parents of young children with developmental disabilities shared positive perceptions of the role reading together plays in language and literacy development and read together frequently. At school, more limited access to reading instruction was reported. Speech-language pathologists, teachers, and parents each play important roles in providing access to foundational literacy activities during preschool for children with developmental disabilities.

Background: Despite increased enrolments at primary schools in Zambia, more than half of the children in Grades 1-4 are unable to meet the required minimum standards for literacy. Aim: The study set out to examine the effects of using a phone-based mobile literacy game (Graphogame) to improve literacy skills in children and adults in rural family settings. Setting: The study was conducted in the Katete District, a rural town in the eastern province of Zambia. Methods: Participants were 73 Grade 2 learners (52% boys, mean age 9 years and 48% girls, mean age 10 years) and 37 parents (mean age 36 years). Three literacy tests, measuring letter-sound identification, phonological awareness, spelling competence and word recognition, were administered to both the children and parents. Parents also reported on their level of education, familiarity with smart phone use, availability of home reading materials and home literacy activities. Results: The findings showed that children who were exposed to the Graphogame performed better than the control group on all literacy measures. Furthermore, parent's performance on the tests improved after the intervention. Conclusion: The findings suggest that technology can improve literacy skills in both children and adults in rural areas of Zambia.