Children`s meaning making practices of written language : a comparative study of two preschool groups` understanding and use of written language

Children`s meaning making practices may be difficult to understand, but we need to take account of these in order to understand their learning process. Examples of children's beliefs about written language and children`s practices of their name writings were investigated in this study. This was done with special regard to printed media (newspapers and letters) and children`s practices on letter writing, with a focus on children`s name writing. Emphasis was placed on children`s perspectives. The empirical material has been collected through qualitative interviews with two different groups of children at two preschools. Furthermore, observations have been made with special regards to children`s use of name pictures and digital or handwriting tolls in their name writing. Piaget`s stage theory of cognitive growth and also his structuralism contribute to the present study`s theoretical frame. In Piaget`s terms, knowledge is developed by restoring imbalances and adaptive responses to the environment. Children`s thinking and abstract explanations about written language are explained in Piaget`s terms of visual perspective-taking, egocentric holdings on visual perceptions and unrealistic or plausible explanations of reality. All Piaget`s assumptions appear to be reflected in young children`s beliefs, but my study shows that children seem to be not so dependent on visual experience as Piaget believed them to be and that children are able to explain the function of written language and printed media in an abstract way. Two preschool groups` name writing was compared and the study`s findings suggest that there are significant differences in children`s name writing representations. Name pictures may contribute to a great extent to the children`s name writing learning processes and support their initial writing of their own names. Children can also write their names by copying. The current study`s findings suggest that children`s awareness of the written language seem to develop best in the action of writing that is dealing with letter writing, digital tools and name pictures