Children's Literacy Development
A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Learning to Read and Write
2nd Edition
Published on 30. November 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
250 pages
978-1-84872-287-3 (ISBN)
Description
In the thoroughly updated second edition of this unique book, Catherine McBride examines how the languages we know help structure the process of becoming literate. Taking an ecological and distinctively cross-cultural perspective, the book looks at reading and writing development and impairment across a range of languages, scripts, and contexts. The book covers issues including:
The importance of phonological sensitivity for learning to read and to write
The first units, or building blocks, of literacy learning in different scripts such as Chinese, English, Korean Hangul, Hebrew, Hindi and Arabic
The role of visual processing in reading and writing skills
How the latest research can inform the teaching of reading
An overview of our understanding of dyslexia, including recent neuroscientific research
The developmental challenges in becoming biliterate
What is special about writing for beginners and later for comprehensive writing
Basics of reading comprehension
Children's Literacy Development, Second Edition is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of literacy around the world. Written by an eminent scholar in the field, it is the only book available that provides an overview of how children learn to read and write in different languages, and will be essential reading for all students of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Speech Therapy.
The importance of phonological sensitivity for learning to read and to write
The first units, or building blocks, of literacy learning in different scripts such as Chinese, English, Korean Hangul, Hebrew, Hindi and Arabic
The role of visual processing in reading and writing skills
How the latest research can inform the teaching of reading
An overview of our understanding of dyslexia, including recent neuroscientific research
The developmental challenges in becoming biliterate
What is special about writing for beginners and later for comprehensive writing
Basics of reading comprehension
Children's Literacy Development, Second Edition is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of literacy around the world. Written by an eminent scholar in the field, it is the only book available that provides an overview of how children learn to read and write in different languages, and will be essential reading for all students of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Speech Therapy.
Reviews / Votes
"In this excellent book, McBride describes children's literacy development literally 'from the outside in'. By leading the reader on a journey from cultural context through the important role of home environment, she convinces us of the need to differentiate the language-universal and language-specific skills required for literacy to flourish." - Maggie Snowling, University of Oxford, UK"This is a brilliantly executed cross-cultural discussion of emergent literacy that is aptly suitable for international readership. The most distinctive feature of the book is the proper balance that the author manages to strike between the cognitive-linguistic and the environmental-sociocultural factors that shape the acquisition of literacy in different languages and different contexts. Utilizing research insights gained from a wide range of languages, the author impressively succeeds in highlighting the theme that literacy acquisition is sensitive to the language, the orthography, and the sociocultural milieu within which this process is embedded and, therefore, that understanding the complex unfolding of literacy requires an understanding of the host of influences that this process naturally responds to. The cross-cultural perspective of the book makes it aptly appropriate for researchers and research students engaged in the study of literacy in all languages. The clearly articulated evidence-based arguments and the elegantly presented well-referenced chapters make the book a useful resource for foundational and graduate courses in numerous disciplines including psychology, literacy, psycholinguistics, and education." - Elinor Saiegh-Haddad, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
"With a door, we can go out; with a window, we can choose not to go out." (Qian Zhongshu, 1941). This book is a window through which you can learn the best knowledge about literacy development (and impairment) around the world - cross culture, language, and orthography. If you have no time digging the vast research on this topic by yourself, this is the book that offers you the best panoramic view." - Li Yin, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
"In Children's Literacy Development, Catherine McBride has provided a fascinating and well-written account of the development of literacy in different languages. She skillfully explores the context of literacy learning in different cultures. The discussion is enriched by her knowledge of many orthographies and her ability to synthesize information from many sources." - Linda Siegel, The University of British Columbia, Canada "Offering a wealth of researched based insight, this new edition of "Children's Literacy Development" provides invaluable information fundamental to a coherent understanding of literacy around the world. Indeed, "Children's Literacy Development" is the only major work available that provides an overview of how children learn to read and write in different languages, and will be essential reading for all students of Developmental Psychology, Educational Psychology, Psycholinguistics and Speech Therapy. Enhanced with the inclusion of a thirty-eight page bibliographic listing of References, and a twenty-four page Index, "Children's Literacy Development" is an outstanding work of sound scholarship." - James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review
"In this excellent book, McBride describes children's literacy development literally 'from the outside in'. By leading the reader on a journey from cultural context through the important role of home environment, she convinces us of the need to differentiate the language-universal and language-specific skills required for literacy to flourish." - Maggie Snowling, University of Oxford, UK
"In Children's Literacy Development, Catherine McBride has provided a fascinating and well-written account of the development of literacy in different languages. She skillfully explores the context of literacy learning in different cultures. The discussion is enriched by her knowledge of many orthographies and her ability to synthesize information from many sources." - Linda Siegel, The University of British Columbia, Canada
"This is a brilliantly executed cross-cultural discussion of emergent literacy that is aptly suitable for international readership. Utilizing research insights gained from a wide range of languages, the author impressively succeeds in highlighting the theme that literacy acquisition is sensitive to the language, the orthography, and the sociocultural milieu within which this process is embedded." - Elinor Saiegh-Haddad, Bar-Ilan University, Israel
"This book provides a window through which one can view the major landmarks in the study of literacy development (and impairment) around the world - cross culture, language, and orthography. If you have no time to explore this vast area of research by yourself, this is the book that offers the best panoramic view." - Li Yin, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
More details
Series
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
6 s/w Tabellen, 21 s/w Zeichnungen
6 Tables, black and white; 21 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
460 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84872-287-3 (9781848722873)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Catherine McBride
Children's Literacy Development
A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Learning to Read and Write
Book
07/2025
3rd Edition
Routledge
€72.80
Shipment within 10-20 days
Additional editions
Catherine McBride
Children's Literacy Development
A Cross-Cultural Perspective on Learning to Read and Write
Book
12/2015
2nd Edition
Routledge
€215.41
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Catherine McBride is a Professor of Psychology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She was President of the international Society for the Scientific Study of Reading in 2014-2015, and is a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Her research is on the process of learning to read and write from a developmental perspective, across cultures, languages, and scripts.
Content
1. An ecological approach to reading development 2. The development of phonological processing and language for reading 3. Building blocks of reading 4. The role of morphological awareness in learning to read 5. Visual and orthographic skills in reading and writing 6. Writing: Spelling and higher-order processes 7. Approaches to teaching reading 8. Dyslexia 9. Bilingualism and literacy 10. Reading comprehension