Assessing the effectiveness of a cultural curriculum to improve early literacy outcomes for kindergarteners [electronic resource] / Leslie Dawn Mackay

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of British Columbia, 2011.

Low literacy is a challenge facing Aboriginal communities across Canada and is an identified barrier to school success. Early literacy intervention is an important target to reduce the discrepancies in literacy outcomes. Little has been studied in relation to Aboriginal culture coupled with early literacy and its effects on student development. The Moe the Mouse™ Speech and Language Development Program (Gardner & Chesterman, 2006) is a cultural curriculum created to improve the early language skills of students aged three to five through the use of traditional images and stories. The Moe the Mouse™ program was designed to be a cultural curriculum that provides opportunities for children to practice language skills, but its effectiveness in improving early literacy skills has yet to be assessed. An enhanced Moe the Mouse™ program, created by the researcher, integrates explicit instruction in phonological awareness into the Moe the Mouse™ program.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Moe the Mouse™ Speech and Language Development Program and an enhanced Moe the Mouse™ program that was coupled with explicit early literacy instruction on student phonological awareness skills. One hundred Kindergarten students at six elementary schools participated in this study. Participants were assigned to one of three conditions: comparison (business as usual), Moe the Mouse™, or enhanced Moe the Mouse™. Before and after the intervention, phonological awareness skills of the Kindergarten students were assessed. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated significant differences in advanced phonological awareness skills based on the classroom but not the condition. Upon post hoc analysis by condition, results indicated that there were significantly stronger effects on advanced phonological skills for the enhanced Moe the Mouse™ condition when compared to the Moe the Mouse™ program or the district’s early literacy instruction. Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students responded similarly within the Moe the Mouse™ and enhanced Moe the Mouse™ conditions. After the intervention, a smaller proportion of students from the enhanced Moe the Mouse™ program fell in the “At Risk” category for later reading difficulties. Additionally, the teachers rated both programs as socially valid and containing appropriate cultural content.