Effects of a Story Reading Program on the Literacy Development of At-Risk Kindergarten Children

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Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of a storybook reading program as one means for literacy development with at-risk students in eight Chapter I, extended-day, urban kindergartens. Children in four experimental classes followed a daily program of literature experiences that included reading for pleasure, story retelling, repeated readings of favorite stories, interactive story reading, recreational reading periods, and others. During the same period of time, students in four control groups followed the prescribed reading readiness program used in the district that emphasized letter recognition and letter-sound correspondence. Based on the results of pretests in September and posttests in May, the experimental groups scored significantly better than the control groups on story retellings, attempted reading of favorite stories, comprehension tests, and other measures. There were no significant differences between the groups on standardized measures of reading readiness.