Longitudinal investigation of endogenous and exogenous predictors of early literacy in Turkish-speaking kindergartners

ABSTRACT

This study investigated endogenous and exogenous predictors of early literacy in Turkish-speaking children. Whether children’s language and working memory performances (as the endogenous factors) and home literacy environment (as the exogenous factor) in the beginning of kindergarten predict the children’s current and year-end early literacy skills (phonological awareness, letter knowledge, receptive and expressive vocabulary) was examined. The participants consisted of 441 kindergarten children. Results showed that language development, working memory, and home reading environment predicted children’s both current and year-end phonological awareness. Language and home writing activities were significant predictors of the year-end letter knowledge. Working memory was a significant predictor for both the current and year-end letter knowledge. Language, working memory and home reading environment significantly predicted the acquisition of receptive and expressive vocabulary. In conclusion, results suggest that each of the early literacy skills is related to both the developmental characteristics of children and their home literacy environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Early literacy
• working memory
• language development
• home literacy environment
• longitudinal prediction

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey [grant number 215K027].

Notes on contributors

Cevriye Ergül

Cevriye Ergül is an associate professor and head of the Department of Special Education at Ankara University in Turkey.

Meral Çilem Ökcün Akçamuş

Meral Çilem Ökcün Akçamuş is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at Ankara University in Turkey.

Gözde Akoğlu

Gözde Akoğlu is an associate professor and head of the Department of Child Development at İzmir Katip Çelebi University in Turkey.

Ergül Demir

Ergül Demir is an associate professor in the Measurement and Evaluation Department at Ankara University in Turkey.

Burcu Kılıç Tülü

Burcu Kılıç Tülü is a doctoral student in the Department of Special Education at Ankara University in Turkey.

Zeynep Bahap Kudret

Zeynep Bahap Kudret is an assistant professor in the Department of Special Education at Ankara University in Turkey.