or the role of parents in early literacy as minimal. Alternatively, the developmental view sees children as needing to be ready to learn how to read, with emphasis on nurturance more than nature. In this case, preschools and parental involvement are helpful for prereading efforts such as matching shapes or coloring same/different objects, which will influence readiness (Hill 1997, 263-264).
Current perspectives focus more on teaching skills such as phonics and the roles families can play in literacy. The connectionist perspective emphasizes that knowledge is based on pieces that are put together to make a whole. Parents initiate learning, and the over-learning of letter forms or spelling patterns leads to reading or literacy. Proponents of this perspective tend to assume that most parents do not read to their children or may not present adequate literacy models (Hill 266-267).
The emergent perspective is based on the cognitive construction of knowledge, a dynamic process that begins before school. Oral language acquisition is a model for print-related literacy, and child-play settings are encouraged over teacher-directed instruction. A parent program, from this perspective, would include real books and instruction on ways to talk with children and ask them questions about the book (Hill 263-268).
The social constructivist perspective focuses on cultural anthropology and sociolinguistics. Cognitive development is understood as taking place within the context of social support and interaction with others. This idea considers the parent's view on talking and reading with children; books with strong social themes are chosen for instruction (Hill 268-269).
The critical perspective view includes sociopolitical contexts acknowledging that power structures are in operation, and they are not equal ones. Complex factors such as ethnicity, status, familial education levels, gender, and religion all contribute to the le...