Fingerpoint-Reading of Memorized Text: What Enables Beginners to Process the Print?

Abstract

IN A LABORATORY study, we investigated the kinds of print-related knowledge that emergent readers must possess in order to learn to point to the words of a text as they recited it from memory (fingerpoint-reading) and to remember information about the print from this activity. Children whose ages ranged from 4.5 to 6 years completed several tests of reading skill. Then they practiced fingerpoint-reading a simple text they had memorized. We assessed the impact of this practice on their reading capabilities with the text. Regression analyses revealed that different types of print knowledge facilitated different aspects of fingerpointreading. Knowing how to read a few preprimer words was important for learning to read new words in the text. Phonemic segmentation was important for learning to point to printed words at the same time as they were spoken, and for remembering how to read individual words in text. Letter knowledge was important for noticing that letters in the text had been altered, and for locating words in text. These results help to unravel the complex relationships between various knowledge sources as they are used by beginning readers to process written text in a focused word-by-word manner.

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