CHILD-DEVELOPMENT AND EMERGENT LITERACY

Emergent Literacy consists of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes tha t are developmental precursors to reading and writing. This article of fers a preliminary typology of children's emergent literacy skills, a review of the evidence that relates emergent literacy to reading, and a review of the evidence for linkage between children's emergent liter acy environments and the development of emergent literacy skills. Mie propose that emergent literacy consists of at least two distinct domai ns: inside-out skills (e.g., phonological awareness, letter knowledge) and outside-in skills (e.g., language, conceptual knowledge). These d ifferent domains are not the product of the same experiences and appea r to be influential at different points in time during reading acquisi tion. Whereas outside-in skills are associated with those aspects of c hildren's literacy environments typically measured, Little is known ab out the origins of Inside-out skills. Evidence from interventions to e nhance emergent literacy suggests that relatively intensive and multif aceted interventions are needed to improve reading achievement maximal ly. A number of successful preschool interventions for outside-in skil ls exist, and computer-based tasks designed to teach children inside-o ut skills seem promising. Future research directions include more soph isticated multidimensional examination of emergent literacy skills and environments, better integration with reading research, and longer-te rm evaluation of preschool interventions. Policy implications for emer gent Literacy intervention and reading education are discussed.