The effect of family literacy programs on the development of children's early literacy in kindergarten settings

Abstract

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of family literacy programs on developing kindergarten children's early literacy skills in Qatar. Three hundred and twenty kindergarten children (166 girls and 154 boys; mean age = 4.721 years) participated in the study. The sample was divided into two groups: the experimental group with (162) children whose parents participated in family literacy programs and the control group with (158) children whose parents did not participate. For the purpose of the study, the researchers designed an early literacy test that included five literacy skills: concepts of print, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, vocabulary, and emergent writing. The children in each group were pre-tested and post-tested. The findings indicated that there were statistically significant differences between the two groups as children in the experimental group had higher scores in the early literacy test compared to the control group. Among the sample studied, boys' and girls' early literacy scores were not markedly differentiated. Furthermore, the findings indicated that there was no difference due to the interaction between group and gender. In light of these results, recommendations for establishing family literacy programs in Qatari kindergarten settings are addressed.