Introduction
Reading entails the use of touch or sight to take in symbols, signs, or letters and derive meaning from the signs and symbols. The act of reading engages early learners and helps them to make use of the conventional signs and symbols posted at different locations, and in the long run, the ability to read is essential to access the vast stores of knowledge commonly known as libraries (Fletcher et al., 2020). The American national reading panel broke reading down into five critical components these include; Phonemic Awareness, which entails the ability to identify the most minor sound units in English and allows for pronunciation.
The second essential aspect of instructional reading involves the learner’s ability to recognize the strange shapes that are letters into the oral language they are familiar with. Fluency Instruction is also an essential aspect of reading which is based on the ability to correctly decode words automatically, thus allowing for predictive learning (Yates et al., 2021). Vocabulary is essential to reading as it will enable students to hear and repeat words and to associate the word meanings with specific objects (Nagai, 2019). The final pillar of reading is comprehension; this allows learners to derive meaning from a long string of words. Comprehension is, therefore, the ultimate goal in the reading cycle.
Cognitive development is a field that relates psychology and neuroscience, and this study looks into the child’s growth with respect to the ability to perceive their environment and other concepts, learn a language, process information, and their conceptual resources that is their ability to conceive ideas and use them based on the resources at hand (Walgermo et al. 2018). The main goal of cognitive development is for a child to develop skills in thinking, perception, understanding, and logic that mirror those of a mentally healthy adult. These are achieved through the development of genetic factors and learning factors of the child (Hartkopf et al., 2019). Therefore, cognitive development can be divided into four essential stages, which include; a memory which relates to retention, intelligence, reasoning, and language skills. All these crucial stages are related to brain development and the training and growth of a child.
Problem Statement
The essence of the study at hand is to look into how the cognitive ability of a child is related to their ability to read if assisted by learning interventions in their early years. The study shall make use of the essential factors that overlap in the exercises employed by reading interventions, and the growth factors brought about by the cognitive development in the child’s early years (Fletcher et al., 2020). The essence of the study shall act as a comparison of the outcomes of a child with relation to their ability to interpret letters and symbols and their communicative capabilities. The learners in question are all learners under the early learners’ programs where reading is essential, as well as those from backgrounds that do not value reading in the early years.
The objectives therefore include:
- Correlation of outcomes of early readers and other learners.
- Research into the available interventions to promote reading for young learners.
- Assessment of reading interventions that aid in cognitive development.
Research Questions
- Is reading essential in early childhood education?
- Are reading interventions likely to promote cognitive development?
Background
Children’s cognitive development is paramount to their contribution to the world and their individual nations. Cognitive product is, however, heavily reliant on the factors around their homes and education facilities in their early years. The mental development of children and infants is an essential attribute that shapes their growth, reasoning, and behavior (McIntyre et al., 2018). Their opportunity to learn and grow in these early years of life is also unmatched as they can absorb and observe an incredible amount of content as they need not unlearn any traits to embrace new behaviors, attitudes, and attributes (Syuhadi et al., 2020). It is, therefore, a clear aspect that promotes pre-school and kindergarten education as their activities are essentially centered around socialization and cognition. The essence of previous studies on the issue has focused on the neurological aspect of the correlation of reading to achievement for children as well as their outcomes with regard to earlier development of the skill of reading.
Numerous studies outline that the initial years of education are essential to the cognitive growth of a child, most especially with regard to the debate on whether pre-k is a necessary level of schooling for children (Waglermo et al., 2018). However, studies at times overlook the effectiveness of individual interventions with regard to late bloomers and their role in the way of cognition and catching up in the course of focus and the increase in brain activity generated by the stimulation brought on by the academic interventions. It is, therefore, an explicit consideration to have at hand on how the interventions promote cognitive growth. Specific classroom activities can aid in building cognitive development for learners. The activities in question can work even better if more intense interventions are put in place to focus on specific aspects of reading in an ECE class. The activities may include phonics interventions and letter recognition exercises, among others.
Literature Review
Learning is a lucrative process in the lives of younger humans. Their experiences shape their mental development and promote positive attitudes, behavior and skills. Various studies have looked into the essence of learning and planning in kindergarten. Reading is one of the most demanding of the skills a child needs to learn in their early years (Vaknin-Nusbaum & Nevo, 2016). The process in most cases can be started from as early as conception as parents often read to their unborn children, the first year of life where books with very bright colors, texturized images and storytelling are common at this age (Tsagari, 2020). The next intervention in reading in the second year of life can often employ the learning of the alphabet and the narration of stories then in the third year the learning in a classroom setting is initiated. The study at hand is focused on the interventions at the pre-school and kindergarten levels that start at the age of three and progress all the way to the age of six for most children.
The introduction of younger learners to new words and ideas on a regular basis increases the span of their understanding and prepares them for success in further academic pursuits. The aspects of reading and cognition that have a significant overlap in the skillset under development and the overall goals achieved (Tsagari, 2020). The overlap has been noted in areas that are tied in with these influences; comprehension ability, retention, letter and symbol recognition, language skills and the caregiver’s influence which will influence learner fluency and their mental well-being. These conclusions are based upon the conclusions from recent reviews focused on education and cognition.
The essential facts that relate to cognition and growth are independent of nurture or nature but rather rely heavily on genetics, environment, executive function, and age. These are aspects that are connected with the genetic make-up of the child, environment, care-givers, the factors influencing the likelihood of mental disorders and learning disorders, the society’s expectations and their role in grooming the child for the future (Fletcher et al., 2020). The child’s executive function capabilities are an ability that aids their drive to take on activities they are drawn towards and with time it prompts better reading abilities and the drive to practice (Ahmed et al., 2019). Therefore, this might promote the use of executive function techniques to develop the reading culture in children. The competencies that serve the likelihood of early learning for children are often a result of the tendencies of the caregivers and the societal requirements and values placed upon the minor.
The continual development of children’s decision making and cognitive development skill is consistently dependent on the learner’s age and their motivations with relation to their level of autonomy (Georgieff et al., 2018). The age-related progress in development is a platform where good habits fostered at an earlier age provide a higher capability for better behavior and maturity in later years (Nagai, 2019). The cognitive growth in this way is clearly related to the focus on the practice of interventions, the habit development and practice strategies. These all generate progress in comprehension, fluency, phonics and word recognition. These relate to the increase in reading ability or literacy and in the long run these may prompt the increase in cognition in younger humans.
The aspect of cognitive growth therefore at this juncture is reflected by most studies as an activity influenced by both general and specific processes. This suggests that the earlier interventions can both influence the learner’s current behavior and cognitive abilities and the interventions can also subsequently influence the learner’s executive function abilities (Nevo & Vaknin-Nusbaum, 2017). The study thus focuses on the learning interventions that are tied in with reading examples of which are the peer assisted learning strategies. The strategies include fluency-oriented reading interventions, phonological awareness learner’s screening and other interventions that are similarly tied in with the ability of younger learners to read, pronounce words and comprehend texts under review (Nagai, 2019). The malleability of the children’s minds shall therefore be a key focal point in the study.
The introduction of reading to the educational curriculum of kindergarteners was a change that began with the formulation of the interventions such as phonological awareness literacy screening and other interventions that promoted reading interventions and assessments for younger learners (Ahmed et al., 2019). The development of skills with the use of interventions that allow for inclusion of younger students in the comprehension and phonics of basic words allow for practice that leads to the development of better language skills and communication capabilities (Tsagari, 2020). This aspect of the study will promote the evaluation of evidence with regard to the awareness of the phonemic abilities and how they relate to the language awareness in learners. The interventions also promote the subtests in several important literacy fundamentals: phonological awareness, alphabet recognition, concept of word, knowledge of letter sounds and spelling and their ability to read in their early education.
To assess the viability of various interventions that relate to reading and how efficient they are to the evaluation of the learner’s progress it would be essential that screening interventions are also put to the test. The cognitive assessments are closely tied in with the testing for the learner’s intelligence quotient (Nagai, 2019). Cognitive evaluation therefore involves various tests for cognitive capacity. These include fluid reasoning, processing speed, visual spatial evaluation, verbal comprehension, and working memory (Ahmed et al., 2019). These then allow the examiner and other involved parties to evaluate the intellect of the learner, the presence of learning disabilities and other similar tests. These include the Stanford Binet evaluation, Wechsler Intelligence scale for children and the use of the evaluation through the reading interventions such as PALS.
Methodology
The following segment of the research proposal focuses on the techniques that will enable the attainment of the information on the effect of reading interventions for learners in their early stages of education. The paper’s focal point lies in the overlap of the skills developed in early reading classes and the special methods that can be focused on for increased efficiency, habit building, cognitive growth and to increase the rate of cognitive growth with regard to the teaching styles discussed (Tsagari, 2020). This segment of the study will place emphasis on the data collection methods, limitations of the study, the study’s necessity. It shall also outline the research design whereby we can focus on the evaluation of interventions, and the procedures surrounding the data collection for the research question posed. The above information will therefore guarantee effective data collection that will ascertain the viability of reading interventions in early education.
Research design
The logical path toward the attainment of the data shall involve seeking data that fulfils all the requirements of the study. Irrelevant data may enhance the probability of wrong conclusions and the misinterpretation of the purpose of the research paper. The research shall prioritize the studies that refer to reading interventions that are based on improving specific aspects of the learner’s ability to read which include phonics, word recognition, comprehension and vocabulary among others. The study shall also look into findings that have the a wideset of data and participants. This will enable the paper to look into interventions that can be promoted and used for learners of diverse backgrounds. The data sets in focus and the criteria for the literacy interventions will focus on studies that make use of common resources and yield good results to provide data that can be used in a wide range of settings.
Procedures
The procedures for attaining the information required for this study involves the use of a wide set of data and this requires a review of a large number of studies on the learning interventions available to younger learners. The procedure of obtaining the information required will necessitate; visiting online libraries, search engines and googling the problem statement. The procedure for these included the predetermination of the key words for use in the study. These include words like cognitive development in younger learners, reading interventions for preschool and kindergarten learners, the essence of reading for younger students, the learner outcomes tied in with reading at an earlier age, the evaluation of reading interventions for children six and under, kindergarten reading interventions and the teaching criteria for the various specific skills for younger learners. The key words will be; cognition, cognitive development, preschool, kindergarten, early childhood education, comprehension, reading, vocabulary, phonics and phonetics
Research Method
The collection of data will focus on secondary data collection methods as opposed to the collection of data by the use of primary methods. The study will therefore make use of the existing resources already documented by researchers and the research organizations. The research shall therefore be based on already published works and reading through them to attain the information required (Sun et al., 2020). The information collection methods shall be both quantitative and qualitative. The statement therefore means that the data sought shall try to make use of as many reading interventions as can be found and the paper will also seek to focus on the quality of the studies at hand. The studies therefore need to be affiliated with credible organizations and have been used in a reasonable time frame. This entails the fact that the best information shall be put forth on the basis if the level of truth intuition and the numbers of learners evaluated and finally the effectiveness of the studies.
Sample Size
The sample sizes for academic interventions may vary widely but the most common sample sizes based on the phenomenon in research. The sample sizes for academic interventions are often 400, 64 or 25. The study in focus is an intervention at the earliest stage of education and with the consideration of the PALS program used by the Virginia state in the United States and other interventions such as the Peer Assisted Literacy Strategy is also globally recognized and therefore all of the reviews of the learning interventions for the Kindergarten and preschool learners should be reliant on the sample size of 400 or more learners as the study at hand allows for the use of all students in the interventions. Most of which have a wide sample size due to their effectiveness and the fact that at the earlier stages of education the students often do not need interventions due to lagging behind academically.
Data collection
The collection of the data for the purpose of research is a delicate process that involves the use of distinct sets of methods and criteria. The data up for collection by the following paper related to the cognitive growth of children under the age of seven and the interventions used in the academic institutions that facilitate their learning in the way of reading and cognition (Atzil et al., 2018). The study believes that the reading ability of children at a younger age and their subsequent ability to comprehend the material they read is directly correlated to their intelligence and cognitive maturity (Yates et al., 2021). The study’s focal point is based on giving all young learners the best start in the way of instruction in language and reading. It therefore focuses on instruction in the way of; phonics, phonetics, comprehension, fluency, vocabulary, and the recognition of letters and symbols displayed in books and other text resources.
The data collected shall fall in line with the objectives in that it shall refer to numerous interventions and the importance of reading for younger learners. The data shall look into the goals of various teaching techniques and interventions and their relevance to the topic on discussion and basically the communicative and comprehensive ability of a child. The studies on cognitive development shall be scanned for all information with reference to how it ties in with intelligence. The ability to mature faster and the interventions employed and the role of reading and/or language in the way of cognitive development. The data shall focus on interventions that worked for numerous learners as well as those that are more widely used for diverse situations. The data shall focus on each pillar of reading and its relation to the ability of a child to comprehend the world in a better way.
Data analysis
The data analysis segment of this document is highly reliant on the methodology used and the reason for using each of the criteria described in the methodology segment of the paper. The analytic aspect of the data under review will involve the recording of the student percentages where the interventions have been successful, the evaluation of the methods used as interventions in the field of reading (Ahmed et al., 2019). The academic sources shall therefore be reviewed by using the recording of the establishment of various interventions and their use and strength in this time and age. The analytic aspect shall focus on the effectiveness of each intervention to the learners and the percentage of learners impacted. The study shall compare the regular reading curriculum and its outcomes to the intervention-based curriculums and their outcomes.
Limitations
Limitations of the study include the following; reading is a skill most children develop between the ages of four and six years. Therefore, the common evaluation criterion for most studies is best adapted to children over the age of six. The statement therefore suggests that fewer evaluation techniques may be available to the learners under the study. The interventions are similarly often developed for older children however the paper shall have to focus on the dynamics of inclusion and reading interventions in younger learners (Nitecki & Wasmuth, 2017). Additionally, the interventions shall aim to act as supplementary educational paths as opposed to independent criteria for teaching as is commonly the case.
Conclusion
Reading is a skill that is learnt in the early years of schooling it has been proven that learners who take up reading in their earlier years in education are in a better position to succeed academically. The skill is based on the five pillars of reading which include a learner’s comprehensive ability, phonetic knowledge, phonic abilities and their use and their understanding of vocabulary. Brain activity in learners can be seen to be a factor that increases with a subsequent increase in the learner’s engagement with regard to academics. Reading is a factor that promotes the increase in brain activity in the learners and their comprehensive activity and social intelligence.
The interventions allow for learners to be better oriented to live in the world through the recognition of the signs and other literary sources. Additionally, in the long run the use of reading and academic interventions has promoted better outcomes for learners. The proposal therefore focused on the learning interventions that have been used before to speed up the reading process for younger learners so as to promote better cognitive abilities and increased accountability in children. These interventions are therefore tied in with giving children the best start to life.
References
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