Parental Support of Preschool Children’s Early Writing Using a Researcher-designed Writing Notebook as a Tool

Abstract

Abstract Research suggests that preschool children who come into kindergarten with foundational skills in reading and writing have a literacy advantage. Unfortunately, there are few opportunities in the preschool classroom where early writing occurs. Therefore, this study employed a design-based research method to aid parents in supporting their preschoolers’ early writing while using a researcher-designed Writing Notebook. The sample, which was selected using a convenience sampling technique, included six parents and their six children from the 3K classroom and five parents and their six children from the 4K classroom in a local child development center in the Southeastern region of the United States. The 3K classroom serves three-year-old children, while the 4K classroom serves four-year-old children. Specifically, this paper addressed two questions: (1) How did parents scaffold instruction to move children from their present stage to increasingly meaningful writing exploration? and (2) What was the association between children’s writing and parental support? Parents considered their child’s literacy level and experiences and made the decision on what strategies will meet their child’s literacy needs. Qualitative analysis of the notebook showed that parents’ scaffolds changed over each cycle, and this allowed for more meaningful writing exploration for children. Furthermore, quantitative analysis showed that the frequency of notebook use, and the strategies used by parents may have supported children’s literacy skills. These results contribute valuable insights to existing literature by shedding light into the value of frequent early writing support, and the types of scaffolds that may support preschool children as their writing develops.