A new study from the LuCiD Work Package "From oral language to literacy: Beyond 0-5" has shed light on the early learning skills of children aged between 17 months and 7 years, providing crucial insight into how these skills influence language and reading development throughout early schooling. The research, led by a team primarily based at Lancaster University, highlights the significant role that children’s ability to learn relationships between abstract speech sounds plays in their language and reading development.
The study tracked 70 children over several years, enabling the research team to explore how early learning, particularly before the age of two, has a profound effect on school performance more than five years later. This understanding is key to developing better strategies to support children's learning from the very start of their education.
Professor Padraic Monaghan, a leading researcher on the project, noted: “This work is the culmination of a project where we followed children's language development over the first seven years of their life. It has shown us fascinating insights into how very early learning skills have a long-term impact on children's language skills and learning to read.”
Distinguished Professor Kate Cain added: “The link between children’s oral language skills in preschool and learning to read is well established. This research sheds light on how language learning during the first two years of life affects this connection."
The findings are particularly important, as they show how early language skills, including the ability to learn speech sounds, are directly connected to children’s long-term learning outcomes. This research highlights that interventions and support in the early years could significantly boost language and literacy development, contributing to more successful learning experiences in school.
This study forms part of ongoing longitudinal research, with the findings expected to provide valuable insights for caregivers, educators, and policymakers on the best ways to support young children in their educational journeys.
Click here for the full article: Monaghan, P., Jago, L.S., Speyer, L., Turnbull, H., Alcock, K.J., Rowland, C.F., & Cain, K. (2024). Statistical learning ability at 17 months relates to early reading skills via oral language Journal of Experimental Child Psychology
Author
LuCiD
The ESRC International Centre for Language and Communicative Development (LuCiD) is a five year research collaboration working with partners from across the world to transform our understanding of how children learn to communicate with language.