Running head: THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL BEHAVIORS IN PREDICTING PRE

LITERACY OUTCOMES

The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

Literature Review

Read 650

Longwood University

Annie Tracz
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

Section I.

Over the years, social behaviors of young children have increasingly been

examined and discussed in the education world, and continue to be of interest today.

Every child brings their own wealth of knowledge and social understanding with them as

they develop, which in turn, creates a diverse classroom culture. From the day children

are born, they are influenced by the society they live in, shaping them into creatures

based on who takes care of them, their surroundings, and other people they meet along

the way. Some children come into a preschool class never having read a book or even

seen what a book looks like and feel defeated. On the flip side, some children come into

the first day of preschool knowing all of the letters of the alphabet and an excited eager

attitude towards reading and learning in general. Why is there a gap in attitude towards

learning? Are a child’s social tendencies hindering their ability to read and engage with

other peers? I have defined development based on current research to say that

development is made up of 5 domains: physical well being, social and emotional

development, approaches toward learning, language development and cognition and

general knowledge (Reid, Diperna, Missall and Volpe 2014). We will look each of these

domains more closely throughout the review to see how these domains influence

students’ academic success, and the factors that affect the course of literacy development

starting in preschool.

The main are of that literacy that has been examined through my research is

phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is a broad skill that includes identifying

and manipulating units of oral language- parts such as words, syllables, and onsets and

rimes. According to Stanovich (1986), " Evidence is mounting that the primary specific
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

mechanism that enables early reading success is phonological awareness: conscious

access to the phonemic level of the speech stream and some ability to cognitively

manipulate representations at this level. Phonological awareness can serve as a reliable

predictor of later reading abilities, which explains the copious amounts of research in the

world today. Social tendencies of preschool children have been proven to account for

their phonological awareness skills, and predict their overall reading and literacy skills.

Pre school children starting at the age of 4, can indirectly exclude their peers in social

interactions, which can negatively impact those excluded students acquisition of

phonological awareness skills (Girad, Girolametto 2013). To pinpoint where that

exclusion comes from, we will look at the students' home life.

The first place where children learn and to interact with others is at home, being

surrounded by people who are share common traits and behaviors. There are many

factors that influence a child’s social behavior, such as gender, race, religion, socio

economic status, culture, and family values and beliefs. One factor from this list that

greatly affects a student socially and academically is poverty or low socio economic

status. "Children raised in low-income families are at risk for academic and social

problems as well as poor health and well-being, which can in turn undermine educational

achievement"(Engle and Black 2008). Many people think that children who live in

poverty show less effort in school than children not living in poverty however that is not

the case. Low SES children are often less motivated and lack home and optimism

because they see what their parents endure on a daily basis and it eventually takes a toll

on them. Low socioeconomic status and the accompanying financial hardships are

correlated with depressive symptoms (Butterworth, Olesen, & Leach, 2012). Those
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

depressive and aggressive behaviors carry into their academic setting because it over

takes them physically and emotionally, even for little 5 year olds.

That depressive aggressive behavior can also influence how they interact with

their teachers and classmates at school. Every student brings along different attributes,

behaviors and knowledge, which creates a diverse, well rounded classroom dynamic and

environment. Those differences such as age, gender, religion and social emotional

behaviors contribute to early school adjustment and kindergarten readiness. We know

that not every student is going to be a perfect rose when they enter preschool and beyond

so we need to identify a child’s social behavior before it manifests into other areas of

development. Negative and aggressive behaviors in preschool impact a students literacy

outcomes and academic success in kindergarten and beyond (Denham, Bassett, Thayer,

Minc, Sirotkin, Zinsser 2012). If students are showing signs of aggressive or defiant

behavior in preschool then it will continue to hinder their academic success in the future.

It is in the hands of parents/ caretakers and teachers of young children to model and

encourage positive social behavior, so that they will use that social competence to excel

academically at school. A more detailed description on how parents and teachers can

create a positive and healthy relationship with their student will be discussed later on in

the review.

According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, there are over 23

million young children under the age of 6 years old in the United States. Of that 23

million, 10.5 million live in low- income families and 5.3 million live in poor families

( Jiang, Granja, Koball 2017). Fortunately, there are programs like Head Start, which

was created by Jule Sugarman in 1965 that have taken on a role in the educational system
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

to promote self- sufficiency for children facing adversity. The Head Start program has

also created another intervention for at risk low SES students called the Head Start REDI

(Research- based Developmentally Informed). Both the normal Head start and Head start

REDI were reviewed to examine the effects on 3 important kindergarten outcomes:

reading achievement, learning engagement and positive social behavior. These 3

outcomes were mediated by preschool gains in the proximal social- emotional and

language emergent literacy skills made unique contributions to kindergarten outcomes in

reading and learning achievement (Nix, Bierman, Domitrovich, Gill 2013).

Social emotional skills such as emotional expressiveness, emotion regulations,

social problem solving and emotion knowledge also play a role in predicting pre literacy

skills. Children that are more cooperative/ sensitive and less anxious tend to perform

better in pre literacy skills (Curby, Brown, Bassett, Denham 2015). Children learn to be

cooperative/ sensitive from their surroundings and it doesn't always come easy for some

children to change their behavior at the drop of a hat. We now know that the 5 domains

of development (physical well being, social and emotional development, approaches

toward learning, language development and cognition and general knowledge) play

important roles in predicting pre literacy skills and outcomes, but what can parents and

teachers do to target the children that fall behind in these domains of development in

preschool before they get to 3rd grade? We have the facts, now what are WE going to do

about it in our home and school today?

The primary emotion behind negative and aggressive behavior is a feeling of

helplessness. Research tells us that if a child's aggression is often directed towards their

teacher or parents that might mean that they are exercising too much control over the
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

child and the relationship would really benefit from giving the child more power through

choice (Lively 2014). "When a child is being aggressive toward another child, it is likely

that they are unable to express their feelings of helplessness to get what they want so

instead they hit/ push/ kick/ yell which then can isolate that child even more from their

peers without directly trying to do so. Teachers and parents need to help them express

what they want without having to do those things in the first place. One way to do this is

by simply saying to a child, " You look REALLY upset!" This is a great way to diffuse

their negative and aggressive emotions before they escalate. As we have talked about in

this review, its important to talk with your child and show empathy about how they are

feeling so that you can create a positive relationship with them and they feel open to vent

about their emotions. Another great piece of advice for younger children is having them

draw how they are feeling, which can be done at school and at home (Lively 2014).

Another piece to targeting student’s social and academic needs choosing the

learning style that best facilitates positive social behavior at school. How often do

children get to discuss and work in groups on certain tasks? Are they getting enough time

to explore independently and then collaborate their ideas with their peers through

discussions, writing samples, etc.? Cooperative learning needs to be implemented in all

preschool classrooms because it has been proven to not only increase students interest in

school, but also helps them learn more and remember it longer (Teed, McDaris, Roseth).

Through cooperative learning, students develop problem solving and critical thinking

skills that they wouldn't necessarily develop in a traditional "teacher stands in front of the

class and lectures" class. Cooperative learning teaches students to work together to

accomplish a goal and reinforces the foundational life skill that "in order to be successful,
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

you have to learn how to work together as a team no matter the circumstances." This is

very valuable lesson, which is why cooperative learning and creating a positive social

environment in school and at home is so crucial to the overall development of children.

Support your students, support your children, and create a learning environment that sets

children up for academic success now and for the rest of their life. Look for the child that

needs that emotional support because a little empathy and connection can go a long way.

Preschool may be a quick snapshot in life but it's also a paramount time of development

that will influence later social and academic obstacles and challenges.

Section II.

It is going to take support on all levels of our society to give families, teachers and

students the resources they need to succeed in literacy development. We know that social

behaviors such as negative aggression, high anxiety and depression stem from their

personal background or socio economic status. Their social behavior can influence and

predict pre literacy outcomes such as phonological awareness, but do we know exactly

when that behavior starts to form? There has been research done on the repercussions of

social behavior in pre school and longitudinal studies on the years following but what

about the years leading up to it? When do children learn to be cooperative and sensitive?

I would like to know exactly what factors influence a childs social behavior by simply

just looking at their day to day observations to see if parents can target their needs before

they even step foot into the preschool classroom. In order to test this, I would need a

large pool of participants (ages 1-10) with a variety of gender, socio economic status,

race, culture and family beliefs. It would also depend heavily on parent and teacher

involvement because of the amount of anecdotal records and formative assessments that
The Influence of Social Behaviors in Predicting Pre Literacy Outcomes

would need to occur in order to show valid and reliable data. I would also make sure to

have several different neighborhoods and schools in different socio economic status' to

control that specific variable. My assumption for this study is that most children show

signs of both cooperative and aggressive behavior early on and is heavily influenced and

reflective of their parents or siblings behavior and social tendencies. The study would be

eye opening for everyone in our society. In order to help the ones we love, we first have

to look and reflect on our own practice from an outward perspective. Parents and

teachers must take on an active role by practicing positive behavior and creating

relationships that reflect a better future for our children.

References

Arnold, D. H., Kupersmidt, J. B., Voegler- Lee, M.E., Marshall, N. A. (2012). The
association between preschool children's social functioning and their emergent
academic skills. Early Childhood Research Quarterly 27(3). 376-386.

Curby, T. W., Brown, C. A., Bassett, H. H., & Denham, S. A. (2015). Associations
between Preschoolers' Social Emotional Competence and Preliteracy Skills.
Infant and Child Development, 24(5), 549-570

Denham,S.A., Bassett, H.H., Thayer,S.K., Mincic, M.S., Sirotkin, Y.S., & Zinsser,K.
(2012). Observing preschoolers' social emotional behavior: Structure,
foundations, and prediction of early school success. Journal of Genetic
Psychology, 173(3), 246- 278

Girard, L., & Girolametto, L. (2013). Investigating the relationship between social
behaviors and phonological awareness in preschool children. Journal Of Applied
Developmental Psychology, 34(3), 123-130.

Lively, S (2014). Helping aggressive kids: 10 Positive parenting tips.

Lecce, S., Caputi, M.,Pagnin, A., Banerjee, R. (2017). Theory of mind and school
achievement: The mediating role of social competence. Cognitive Development
(44), 85-97.

Nix, R., Bierman, K. L., Domitrovich, C. E., & Gill, S. (2013). Promoting children's
social- emotional skills in preschool can enhance academic and behavior
functioning in Kindergarten: Findings from Head Start REDI. Early Education
and Development, 24(7), 1000-1019

Reid, E.E., Diperna,J.C., Missall, K., & Volpe, R. J. (2014). Reliability and structural
validity the teacher rating scales of early academic competence. Psychology in the
Schools. 51(6), 535-553.

Teed, R., McDaris, J., Roseth, C. Cooperative learning. Retrieved from

Tzu,J.L.,Justice, L.M, Narmada,P., Mashburn,A. ( 2016). Peer interaction in rural