Browsing by Author "Mustonen, Katariina"

According to numerous studies, reading aloud improves a child's language skills and expands vocabulary. The most recent KARVI report reveals that only half of those surveyed read to children pedagogically selected children's books daily. In order to be able to interact with others, the child's language skills should be supported as diversely as possible. This study explored what implications early childhood education teachers saw in reading aloud to be to a child's growth and development. The purpose of the study was to map out what practices early childhood education teachers used for their reading sessions and how they felt their goals were achieved. The interviewees were also asked how they selected books for reading sessions; whether books are selected based on availability or for example for pedagogical reasons. The research is qualitative. The material was collected as a semi-structured theme interview and content analysis was used for analysis. The interviews were conducted as individual interviews with five early childhood education teachers from Helsinki. The responses of the interviewees revealed that they strive to read to children on a daily basis. They stressed the importance of reading at home as part of a child's growth and development. They found reading aloud to be helpful especially in language development and emotion control. Interviewees pointed out that children are often divided into reading sessions based on the children's level and skills, as they saw this as the most supportive of their growth and development. However, it emerged from the interviews that the rush of everyday life and the focus on other areas of broad-based learning can tax the implementation of reading aloud. The interviewees felt that their reading goals were widely reflected in the child's daily life, including in play situations. They saw that the themes addressed through the books emerged in interaction with other children. The interviewees found it difficult to define children's literature. However, the responses indicated that the books were sought to select according to the needs of the children.