A total of 15 parents participated in interviews about storybooks selected as favorites by their preschool children. Interviews were set up with the parent who said he or she read most often to the child and focused on one of two books the parent stated was either a greater or more enduring favorite. The parents' responses were content-analyzed…

Describes one assessment instrument, the Classification Scheme for Emergent Reading of Favorite Storybooks, that has evolved into a tool for helping teachers understand development. Notes that the instrument can be used day to day to track the development of individuals or groups of children over time. (MG)

In 1981, a scale, the Emergent Reading Ability Judgments for Dictated and Handwritten Stories, was developed for use in assessing how close a child was to reading independently based upon the nature of the child's attempts to read from dictated and handwritten stories. A study was conducted to apply the scale to stories from a new sample of…

Emergent reading attempts of 24 children at the beginning of their kindergarten year are content analyzed in light of theoretical considerations about general and language development. In addition, the reading attempts of two-, three-, and four-year olds are examined. Comparison of data reveal a developmental progress across age-levels. (HOD)

The elicitation procedures currently used by E. Sulzby in studies of emergent storybook reading were developed by addressing (1) how the wording of the elicitation request given sets up expectations on the child's part regarding language and behavior, (2) how the role that the investigator takes during the session affects the child/investigator…

To determine developmental patterns in emergent reading behaviors of young children, a longitudinal study was conducted of two-, three-, and four-year-old children's language when asked to "read" a favorite storybook. Thirty-two middle and low income children from a daycare center took part in four studies spaced over a year; four children were…