Language and Literacy Development: What Educators Need to Know

This established text--now revised and updated--reveals how spoken language skills are acquired and how they affect children’s later reading and writing achievement. With a unique focus on the needs of educators, the book examines the foundations of language in the developing brain. It explores the relationship of language processes to core literacy skills and probes the impact of motivational and sociocultural factors on children’s learning. Implications of developmental knowledge for classroom instruction are highlighted, and effective practices reviewed. Revealing vignettes, clear explanations of research, and lists of “main ideas” enhance the text’s accessibility for preservice teachers.

New to This Edition
*Chapter on emergent literacy and the predictors of reading success.
*Incorporates the latest research, including findings from key longitudinal studies.
*Increased attention to English learners, low-income children, and children with disabilities.
*Updated and expanded topics, including usage-based theories of language acquisition, morphological knowledge in vocabulary and comprehension, phonological processing skills, and writing development.

James P. Byrnes, PhD, is Professor of Educational Psychology and Applied Developmental Science in the College of Education at Temple University. He was a Fellow of Division 15 (Educational Psychology) of the American Psychological Association between 2002 and 2018, has served as Vice President of the Jean Piaget Society, and was Associate Editor of the Journal of Cognition and Development. Dr. Byrnes has published over 100 books, chapters, and articles on areas of cognitive development, including language development, logical reasoning, and mathematical learning. His most recent work has focused primarily on developing and testing a comprehensive theoretical model of academic achievement (the opportunity–propensity model) in order to provide insight into ways to eliminate or substantially reduce gender, ethnic, and racial gaps in achievement. Dr. Byrnes has received awards for his teaching and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.

Barbara A. Wasik, PhD, is Professor of Educational Psychology and holds the PNC Endowed Chair in Early Childhood in the College of Education at Temple University. She is a recipient of the University's Paul W. Eberman Faculty Research Award. Her research interests are emergent literacy and early intervention in beginning reading, with a focus on disadvantaged children. Dr. Wasik has extensive experience in program and curriculum development and is specifically interested in the role that teachers play in the development of children’s language and literacy skills. She has written several books and numerous articles on early literacy, one of which received the Dina Feitelson Research Award from the International Literacy Association. Also interested in educational policy issues, Dr. Wasik is the author of several papers that have affected teaching practices in classrooms.