Development and Validation of the Scale on Young Children’s Preferences for Literacy Activities
AUTHOR : 최나야
INFORMATION : page. 1~23 / 2017 Vol.24 No.1
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to develop and validate the preference scale for young children’s literacy
activities. A total of 1,035(536 boys and 499 girls) preschoolers and 154 teachers from 33 institutes
in 9 regions participated. Multiple methods were used such as confirmatory factor analysis,
comparison with a similar scale, test-retest, and analysis for internal consistency reliability and item
quality/discrimination. According to the results, the scale showed appropriate validity, reliability, and
item quality. The scale consisted of 19 items of 2 factors, i.e. emergent literacy activities and
conventional literacy activities. The teachers reported no differences between the classes for 4-year-olds
and those for 5-year-olds in the frequency and importance of literacy activities., but their perceptions
on children’s preferences did not reflect the reality. Emergent literacy activities were preferred over
conventional literacy activities. Older children reported a stronger preference for literacy activities,
and girls preferred conventional literacy activities more than boys. Finally, children enrolled at
daycare centers generally showed a stronger preference for literacy activities than kindergarteners.
Teachers and parents may help young children by personalizing literacy activities and the
environment using this reliable scale.