Young children's reading strategies

Young children's reading strategies.

By Michelle Collins

The reading strategies of emergent readers has been a major area of research in past years. Michelle Collins reports here on her study of the reading strategies used by emergent readers that she identified as she observed young readers 'read' self-selected picture books.

There is much evidence that indicates that for young children, learning to use different reading strategies is inseparable from making meaning and sharing meanings while developing literacy (Sulzby, 1985; Taylor, Wade & Yekovich, 1985; Juel, 1980; Depree & Iversen, 1994; Biemiller, 1970; Brenna, 1995; Elster, 1994; Fehrenbac, 1991; and McIntyre, 1990). This study aimed to extend the knowledge in the area of emergent reading of 5- to 7-year-olds. The purpose of the study was to investigate young children's reading strategies: to identify any common strategies that arise in a group of children, and to see whether there are any patterns which may suggest that the use of reading strategies is developmental in nature. Therefore, the research question of the study was: What are the reading strategies that young children use when they read picture storybooks? The study focussed on individual children's reading strategies, and used both familiar and non-familiar storybooks.

The research literature clearly demonstrates that literacy learning involves the integration of information from many sources. Clay and Cazden (1990: p. 207), for instance, suggest that all readers 'need to use, and check against each other' four sources of information: semantic (text meaning), syntactic (sentence structure), visual (graphemes, orthography, format, and layout) and phonology (the sounds of oral language)'. The process of integrating information from these four sources is linked to the formation of reading strategies, whereby emergent readers use their knowledge of text and what it means and represents; their knowledge of what a sentence and a word is; the sounds that make up these words; and the role of pictures and other visual cues in a story.

Pinnell, Lyons, DeFord, Bryk and Seltzer (1994: p. 11) suggest that when children are learning to read, they seem to 'acquire a set of mental operations that make up a self-extending system for reading and writing'. These 'individualised' systems contain specific reading strategies that young readers use to gain meaning and understanding as they read. In this sense, a reading strategy can be defined as a procedure that aids the reader to gain information, from both pictorial, text and structural cues.

By observing this reading behaviour, it is suggested that one can infer the particular strategies being implemented by readers (Depree & Iversen, 1994). Thus observing children's reading behaviours has become a major focus of emergent reading research. This research suggests that children seem to progress from focussing on illustrations to focussing on print (Biemiller, 1970; Elster, 1994; McIntyre, 1990; & Sulzby, 1985). It is, however, possible that the use of strategies is not merely developmental, but dependent on the individual child's prior experiences and interest, and the level of difficulty of the text, as well as the type of text read.

In attempting to describe the beginnings of reading, Sulzby (1985) observed young children reading their favourite storybooks. She classified her observations into two main themes: dominated by pictures, and dominated by print. Sulzby claimed that these formed a developmental sequence, in that readers are dominated by pictures before print. Sulzby ordered the categories that emerged in the following developmental sequence:

* picture-governed attempts where the story is not formed

* picture-governed attempts where the story is formed; oral-like language

* written-like language

* print not being watched

* print being watched

* attempts completely governed by print.

McIntyre (1990) also observed the reading behaviour patterns of emergent readers as they read storybooks. Studying the children as they selected their own reading or writing activity as part of the everyday classroom curriculum, McIntyre concluded that eight strategies were used. These were:

* reading the pictures with oral-like language

* reading the pictures with text-like language

* saying the text from memory

* reading the text from memory

* reading the text but skipping words

* reading the text

* repeated reading, and

* browsing.

Unlike Sulzby, McIntyre did not create a developmental proforma, but rather a list of strategies that young children were observed using while reading.

Elster (1994) studied the reading and talk strategies that emergent readers used before they began to attend to print. She argued that emergent readers select and deploy a controlled repertoire of strategies when they read, and that they choose strategies from an ever-expanding ...

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This report based on above articel..

Young Children's Reading Strategies Journal article by Michelle Collins; Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, Vol. 21, 1998
Young Children Reading Strategies
Introduction	The reading strategies of emergent readers has been a major area of research in past years. There is much evidence that indicates that for young children, learning to use different reading strategies is inseparable from making meaning and sharing meanings while developing literacy. This study aimed to extend the knowledge in the area of emergent reading of 5- to 7-year-olds.
Methodology	The research literature clearly demonstrates that literacy learning involves the integration of information from many sources. Clay and Cazden (1990: p. 207), for instance, suggest that all readers 'need to use, and check against each other' four sources of information: semantic (text meaning), syntactic (sentence structure), visual (graphemes, orthography, format, and layout) and phonology (the sounds of oral language)'. The process of integrating information from these four sources is linked to the formation of reading strategies, whereby emergent readers use their knowledge of text and what it means and represents; their knowledge of what a sentence and a word is; the sounds that make up these words; and the role of pictures and other visual cues in a story. This observtion started by classified observations into two main themes: dominated by pictures, and dominated by print.
Finding	The purpose of the study was to investigate young children's reading strategies: to identify any common strategies that arise in a group of children, and to see whether there are any patterns which may suggest that the use of reading strategies is developmental in nature.
Discussion	When children are learning to read, they seem to 'acquire a set of mental operations that make up a self-extending system for reading and writing'. These 'individualised' systems contain specific reading strategies that young readers use to gain meaning and understanding as they read. In this sense, a reading strategy can be defined as a procedure that aids the reader to gain information, from both pictorial, text and structural cues. By observing this reading behaviour, it is suggested that one can infer the particular strategies being implemented by readers (Depree & Iversen, 1994). Thus observing children's reading behaviours has become a major focus of emergent reading research. This research suggests that children seem to progress from focussing on illustrations to focussing on print. It is, however, possible that the use of strategies is not merely developmental, but dependent on the individual child's prior experiences and interest, and the level of difficulty of the text, as well as the type of text read. These formed a developmental sequence, in that readers are dominated by pictures before print. Sulzby ordered the categories that emerged in the following developmental sequence: * picture-governed attempts where the story is not formed * picture-governed attempts where the story is formed; oral-like language * written-like language * print not being watched * print being watched * attempts completely governed by print.
Conclusion	There are eight strategies were used. These were: * reading the pictures with oral-like language * reading the pictures with text-like language * saying the text from memory * reading the text from memory * reading the text but skipping words * reading the text * repeated reading, and * browsing. Emergent readers select and deploy a controlled repertoire of strategies when they read, and that they choose strategies from an ever-expanding.